I Move On
by the charmed citlali
Summary: My version of life after Sunnydale for the survivors. BtVS/Angel crossover... Surprises galore
1. The Bus Ride

Here it is. My version of what would happen to the Scoobies after the destruction of Sunnydale. Also, I'm bringing the Angel team into this, since Spike (James Marsters) will be apart of it next season. Faith stays, at least for a little while, (you'll see what happens, mwa ha ha ha). Enjoy!

Thank you, Joss Whedon, Marti Noxon and the entire team of writers and directors. We've laughed, cried, thrown shit at the TV, and screamed for the past seven years. Buffy the Vampire Slayer gave us something to do on Tuesday nights and gave the world a new addiction. To all the actors, thank you for creating characters that will be in our hearts forever. 

Disclaimer: I definitely own nothing of what Joss created. I just like borrowing them. 

  


**I Move On**

  


Chapter One: The Bus Ride

  


Buffy stared out the dirty window of the stolen school bus. It was the first time she was alone since they left the crater they once called home. The first time she wasn't moping up bloody wounds or giving encouraging talks. The first time someone didn't come over to she if she was all right. God, that irritated her the most. If she wasn't all right, she'd say so. Of course she wasn't all right, but she didn't want to say so yet. 

She wanted to do about twelve things at once. First, cry. Cry for at least a week. Cry a river, a lake, a god damned ocean, but just cry. She wanted to mourn for the place she had called home for the past seven years. Sunnydale wasn't exactly a paradise to live in, it was far from it. It was a town, built on a Hellmouth, where all that is evil flocked to. But it was home, for her, for Xander and Willow, who had grown up there, for Dawn, Giles, everyone. Her mom was buried there, in one of the twelve cemeteries. So was Tara. Buffy shook her head. Dear God, twelve cemeteries, shouldn't that have been a giant clue to get the hell out of there. Nevertheless, it was home.

She wanted to cry for Spike. She squeezed her eyes shut, remembering her final words to her lover. 

***Buffy looked around. All the slayerettes were running out of the cavern. She saw Spike standing against the wall, the beam of light from the amulet she had given him was destroying the cave's ceiling, letting in the sunlight which was turning the Turok-hans to dust. The sunlight that would kill Spike if he didn't get out of there. "Spike, come on!" Buffy yelled. 

"No, you go. Get out of 'ere," he replied, a faint smile on his face. Buffy couldn't believe it. He was seriously going to sacrifice himself. She rushed over to him, careful not to fall. She held his hand as it caught fire, it burned, but she didn't let go. "I love you," she said, finally giving in. 

He smirked. "No you don't. But thanks for saying it." He pushed her away, and she ran away from the crumbling cavern, away from her love.***

She banged her hand against the window. 'Damnit', she thought. 'Damn you, Spike.' She opened her eyes, she felt a tiny bit better. Being mad at Spike was easier to do than to accept that he was gone.

The last thing she wanted to cry for was herself. It sounded incredibly selfish in her head, but she couldn't help being honest. After almost eight years, she didn't feel alone. She could feel all the other slayers being activated, thanks to Willow. She felt Faith, stronger than ever before. Being the Chosen one had tortured her since Merrick had contacted her. Even when Kendra came and Faith came, she still felt terribly lost and isolated. And with her friends, Giles, he mom, she still felt apart from everyone else, and she was she really was. That was, until Spike came along. But even then, _that_ pain only eased a little. Now, she was finally free. Free from being the only Chosen one, free from the Hellmouth, free from it all. Now she could live.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  


"Mr. Angel," a young man in a smart-looking navy business suit approached the vampire with a file folder. "Here's the latest on the apocalypse in Sunnydale," he said handing the folder to Angel.

Angel flipped through the documents, reading them with lightning fast speed. He sighed with relief. Buffy did it. "Thank you, uh..." he couldn't remember all these people's name even if he tried. 

"Derek," the young man supplied.

"Derek, yeah. Thanks," Angel said and Derek walked out of the office, closing the door behind him. Angel read the files again. "Destruction of the town of Sunnydale, California: Total. "He murmured. "Survivors: none known." angel stared at the paper. No survivors? He burst out of his office, searching for Derek. "Hey, hey Derek!" He called jogging after the boy. 

"Anything I can help you with?" Lilah's voice caught his attention. 

Angel stopped where she was standing in an office doorway. "Lilah," he said. "I know you have to slither around here, but I'm always surprised to see you." 

Lilah grinned. "Naturally," she said. "But seriously Angel, what's going on in your tortured vampire mind? As if I didn't know."

"As if you didn't know," he echoed. "So tell me? Where is she?"

Lilah turned and walked into the office, Angel following. "I assume you mean your ex-slayer lover." She tapped the screen of a television. "There were no survivors, most of the townspeople had left, the Turok-hans were wiped out, but there was a bus that had managed to get out of there before the town collapsed on itself." The screen showed a bus racing away from the town, and a tiny blond figure jumping onto it. 

Angel smiled. "That's her. Buffy."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  


They were at a truck stop diner. Xander filled up the tank, with Andrew hovering nearby. Xander didn't have the heart to tell the fidgety little man to get lost. The rest of the group was inside the diner. The girls had all pretty much healed. Must've been that slayer regeneration thing, and now that they were all slayers it was quick. Xander leaned against the bus, yes, it had been quite a day. It had been quite a year, seven years to be exact. Thinking back on it, he wouldn't want it any other way. With or without his eye.

The girls all rambled off their food orders to a harried-looking waitress. The cook was kind enough not to make them pay, since they said they were from Sunnydale and Channel 14 news said that the town had just been leveled by a massive earthquake. Buffy and Willow snorted when they heard this, but being on the San Andreas fault line, everyone in California knew about sudden earthquakes. Buffy, Willow, Giles and Dawn sat in a booth, Giles sipping some "pitiful excuse for tea". In the booth next to them, Faith sat with Robin, who lacked slayer healing and was still in bad shape. Buffy watched them with curiosity. She wasn't sure, but she'd bet kittens that they had had sex. There was a different air about Faith, Buffy could tell. Maybe it was that stint in prison, or fighting alongside the gang again, but Faith had changed. Buffy smiled as Faith held a glass of water up to Robin's lips as he drank.

Xander entered the diner and pulled up a chair to Buffy's table. "What's up, guys? Seen any good movies lately?"

"Ooh, I still wanna see X-men 2. We didn't get to see it with the apocalypse and all," Willow said. Dawn nodded and Giles rolled his eyes and muttered something in English. Soon, they got their food. Buffy picked at her sandwich, but managed to down three glasses of Coke. When everyone was done and talking amongst themselves, Buffy stood up and strangely they all turned to her. 

"Uh, um.. right," she looked down at Willow, who smiled encouragingly. "I just wanted to say that I'm proud of all of you. I know that it was hard and tough, and there were uh, losses. But the reward was great." The girls giggled, looking around at each other. "And I think you all are the bravest people in the world. So, thank you." Buffy smiled. 

"What do we do now, Buffy?" Rona asked.

Buffy looked around at everyone. Their faces were smudged with dirt, blood was dried on their ripped clothes, and they wore tired but satisfied expressions. "Go home. Go back to your families. You don't have to tell them what happened, just go see them, spend time with them, let them know that you're all right."

"And after?"

Buffy smiled. The thrill of being the slayer, she remembered it. "I'll call you all. Or Giles will. But for now, go home." She sat back down and Willow reached across to squeeze her hand. Giles nodded approvingly. 

Dawn hugged her sister, "That was beautiful, Buffy."

"Yeah, you're a regular George S. Patton, " Xander said.

"Thanks," Buffy said confused. "Patton?"

"You know, the World War II hard ass general with a soft spot," Xander explained. 

Buffy looked at Willow, who shrugged. They all talked a little, until Dawn said, "Hey, where are we going to go?"

"That's right Buff, what are we going to do now that Sunnydale's gone the way of the dodo?" Xander asked.

Buffy looked around. "I hear L.A.'s nice this time of year."

  


  


What do you think? I'd like a better title, any ideas? Please Review.... 


	2. Too Hard to Say Goodbye

Chapter Two: Too Hard to Say Good-bye

  


"Good Morning, Mr. Angel," the woman at the front desk of Wolfram and Heart greeted him. 

"Uh hey," he said. He'd have to get used to the formality. He entered the elevator and pressed the button to get to his office floor. He walked out of the elevator, around the corner and nearly collided with Fred. 

"Oh Angel! I didn't see you," Fred said in her little nervous voice. She was carrying a thick book and looked excited. 

"What are you up to today?" Angel asked.

Fred shifted the book in her arms. "Oh, well the scientists were showing me how the equations that were used to develop television can be used to numb the brain and turn a person into a drone," her eyes lit up but she giggled when she saw Angel's amused look on his face. "It's just for future reference and protection, of course."

"Of course," Angel said. "I'll see you later, Fred."

Fred tried to wave without dropping her book. "Angel?" she said and he turned back around. She looked down at her shoes then back at Angel. "I was going to go see how Cordy was doing after I dropped off this book to Wesley. Do you wanna come?" She winced as she saw the pain in his eyes.

Angel cleared his throat and shook her head. "I'll see her later."

"Okay, it's just that I've been there everyday and I checked the visitor list and you haven't... gone at all," Fred pointed out.

Angel set his jaw the way he did when he got angry, "I'll see her later. 'Bye Fred," he turned on his heel and walked away.

" 'Bye, Angel," she said as she watched him go down the hallway, his black jacket flapping behind him.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  


Buffy helped Faith get Robin into the first seat of the bus. They were at the airport, saying tearful good-byes to each other. The girls had called their parents who wired them money. Kennedy fronted the money for the girls whose parents didn't Western Union them money. Buffy hugged each new slayer and wished her well. To her surprise, Rona had squeezed her hard. And Vi practically flung herself at Buffy. Dawn said good-bye to the girls she had become close to, getting addresses and giving promises to write. Willow and Kennedy held each other as they said their good-byes.

"I'll be back soon," Kennedy reassured her girlfriend.

"I know, it's just... Do you have to go?" Willow asked. "I mean, you don't even like your parents. I don't like mine."

Kennedy smiled. "I know, but with everything that's gone down, I think they deserve to see me for a little while."

Willow touched her forehead against Kennedy's, pouty she said, "Well, all right."

"That's my goddess," Kennedy kissed Willow softly. "I'll see you soon." Willow nodded, smiling sadly. "Call me," Kennedy mouthed.

"Everyday," Willow said. 

"Well, is everyone ready?" Xander asked as soon as Willow climbed into the bus. 

Buffy looked around at the occupants of the bus. Faith sat across from Robin, who sat behind Xander, who was driving. Dawn and Willow sat together and Andrew looking over behind them. Giles was behind Buffy and she nodded as he put his hand on her shoulder for a brief moment then went back to reading his paper. "Let's Go," she said and he started the ignition.

*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*

  


Buffy fell asleep on the bus and woke up to night. Giles was now driving. She guessed Xander and him had switched, since Xander had a harder time driving in the dark because he had only one eye. Robin was asleep but Faith wasn't. Buffy got up and sat next to Faith.

"Hey," she said.

"Hey, B," Faith said using her nickname for Buffy. 

"How is he?" She asked looking over at Robin.

Faith shrugged, "He said he's been better. I guess we should really check him into a hospital when we get to L.A. Huh?"

"Yeah," Buffy nodded. "I think you should lay low, you know? The whole fugitive persona might be hard to shake."

"I thought about turning myself in B," Faith said after a few minutes.

Buffy stared at Faith in shock. "Wha- why?"

Faith ran her hands through her hair. "Cool it, man. I said I thought about it, Robin actually talked me out of it. I think that apocalypse really made me think. I mean, really think. All my life I've been nothing more than a bad seed. A firecracker." Faith smirked, remembering how the Mayor, her 'father figure', had called her that. "I was always the one who would do the crazy stunt first. I slept around a lot. That kind of deal. But after I was activated and started slaying with you, I found something I was good at. Don't get me wrong, I was good before, if you know what I mean," Faith smiled slyly. Buffy burst out laughing and they both laughed until a stern look from Giles quieted them.

"Angel helped me out, some." Buffy stiffened at the mention of Angel's name. Faith grinned and put her arm around the blond slayer, "Don't worry, B, nothing happened."

Buffy rolled her eyes as Faith continued. "Prison does change you though, for better or for worse, it changes you. And then seeing you again, you're the only who has any idea what I'm going through, 'cause you're there too. It felt so good to be fighting with you again. I'm not the Dark Slayer anymore," Faith stopped to look at Robin who had groaned just slightly in his sleep.

Buffy saw that sudden change in Faith. She was concerned about Robin. "So, you and Robin, huh?"

"That obvious?"

"Yeah."

"You know, B, I thought he was going to be like all the rest, ride 'em and dump 'em. But ah, I dunno. He's different," Faith said looking at the former principal. "He's, heh, surprising."

"I'm glad Faith," Buffy said sincerely. "You deserve it. Happiness."

Faith nudged Buffy, "Aw, B, you're making me all warm and fuzzy. You'll find some happiness too, again."

"Thanks, Faith." Buffy saw Robin shift and grown again. Faith was at his side in a flash. Buffy smiled, and Faith saw Buffy's wistful look.

"You gonna be okay?"

"Five by five," Buffy said getting an eye roll from Faith.

*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#* 

  


Xander sat staring out the window of the bus into the California desert, into the night. He didn't feel like driving anymore. He was completely capable, despite his new handicap, but he just couldn't do it anymore. It was weird, he hadn't really been able to grieve for Anya since their wild escape from the crumbling Sunnydale. Something had reminded him of her. It might have been the smell of the air, might've been when Dawn flipped on the radio and Olivia Newton-John's "I Honestly Love You", came on. Anya had been dead set on that song being their first dance at their wedding. Or it might have been the billboard for Trojan brand condoms. Anya liked the ribbed.

Xander hung his head down. He was far enough away from his friends so they wouldn't see him cry. He sniffled and wiped his eye with his hand. "C'mon Harris," he said to himself. "You're supposed to be the strong one now."

"Why?" Andrew's annoying voice startled Xander.

"Jeez, Andrew. You scared me," Xander said jumping.

The small framed, blond haired, kid settled his chin on the seat in front of Xander's. "Well, since the First is gone, it's only fitting that I am the last remaining form of evil."

"You are not evil. I'm more afraid of Scary Veiny Willow and Faith. Even Giles is more sinister than you've ever been," Xander pointed out.

Andrew thought, "True." He conceded. "But why did you say you're supposed to be the strong one? Buffy's still the slayer." 

"I know," Xander said, "It's just that, I'm usually the backbone, the doormat, I'm the one who everyone relies on because I'm the human."

Andrew wrinkled his forehead, puzzled. "We're all human."

"I know, God, just, listen. After every time we've battled a gigantic Big Bad, I'm bring the morale. I'm Morale Guy. I try to make everything better with funny jokes and thoughtful gestures. It's what I do." Xander explained.

"Oh," Andrew said. "But now you can't 'cause your Jean Grey Phoenixed out on you and sacrificed herself for the greater good."

"No, that would be Spike. Anya died saving your pathetic hide," Xander said clearly bitter.

Andrew looked down hurt. Xander resisted the urge to look at him but pity made him. "Andrew, look, I'm sorry I said that."

"No, no it's true," Andrew said. "I've been thinking about it too. Anya and I became friends, and I finally had a friendship that didn't end in a flaying or a stabbing. We went in to the fight, both scared and both sure we would die. I was so sure I wasn't going to make it. She told me to watch out, then one of the Bringer guys sliced her. I couldn't get to her, to be with her in her last moments," Andrew's voice cracked and his tears were already running down his cheeks. Xander's own eye was pretty close to spilling over too. "But," Andrew continued. He didn't know if this was helping Xander any, but it was giving him a sense of closure. "I know what her last thoughts were. She sent them to me. She said, 'Andrew, if you make it out of this, tell Xander, that I love him. That he taught me how to love again. Tell him that I... Love... Him.' Then that was it." 

Xander wiped his face with his shirt. "Thanks Andrew, that was a nice story. Heart-wrenching and gut ripping, but a good story."

"It's true, Xander," Andrew protested. 

Xander got up. "Yeah. I know," He said leaving a teary-eyed Andrew in the back of the bus 

#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#

"So, how much longer till we get to L.A?" Xander asked when he got to the front of the bus and rejoined his friends. 

"I saw a sign like, 5 miles back. It said Los Angeles 30 miles," Dawn quipped.

Giles nodded. "Yes. The lights from the city are over there," he pointed out the glow not far in the distance. 

Willow looked over at Buffy. She had this sad, but satisfied expression of her face since they'd left the Sunnydale crater. ^You okay?^ Willow asked Buffy telepathically. 

^Yeah^, Buffy replied. ^Tired. Real tired.^

^Excited about seeing Angel?^

Buffy smiled, ^A little.^

Willow wanted to ask how she was coping with Spike's uh, death. But she didn't want to pour salt on that wound. ^I love you, Buffy,^ was all she could think of saying. 

Buffy looked over at Willow, both had small smiles on their faces. ^I love you too, Willow,^ Buffy said back.

^Aw, I love you guys, too,^ Xander said too both of them. They all smiled at each other. Buffy looked out the window, to the city. She couldn't do it yet, she couldn't say good bye to Spike just yet. Not yet.

  


So... that's the second chapter. I'm basically just focusing on their feelings right now. Don't worry, Spike is coming. And the Buffy/Angel/Spike triangle will go on. 


	3. City of Angel's

Chapter Three: City of Angel's

Angel sat at his desk in his swivel chair, rocking back and forth. He was restless. There wasn't anything to do. Everyone in Wolfram & Hart had their own assignments. Gunn was out looking into a supposed Has'hik demon nest, Wesley was buried in a mound of books and Fred was probably with him, and Lorne was setting up some sort of entertainment wing complete with a casino and karaoke bar. Angel got up and decided just to wander around. 

Nothing here really interested him. He'd research for necessity, not because he liked to overload his brain with tidbits about demons, prophecies, and junk like that. No, he'd leave that to Wes. He walked around every floor. He spied Lilah and considered seeing what she was up to, but didn't. He could go join Gunn, but there was still an hour and a half till the sunset. He didn't even want to think about hanging out with Lorne. Lorne got crazy when it came to singing and entertaining, Angel didn't like to be around him when he got that gleam in his eyes.

Cordelia. That was the last place Angel wanted to be. Seeing her like that, comatose, no sign of life, Angel could hardly bear it. She couldn't give him that great, signature Cordelia Chase smile and he couldn't see her eyes light up whenever she saw him. No, he couldn't go to see her. He knew Fred was right though, he should go see her. He should, but he wasn't. Not yet, any ways.

So, Angel wandered, whistling a Barry Manilow tune. He checked the clock on the wall. 6:15, then sun would set in another forty-five minutes. He went back to his office, sat back in his chair, propped his feet up on his desk and leaned back. He'd just wait till dusk. 

*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*

  


Fred looked over Wesley's shoulder. They were in the massive library of Wolfram & Hart. Wesley wanted to look more into the history of the First, which Angel had told him Buffy and her crew was battling. He was glad that they had made it out of there okay. Even though none of the Scoobies had liked him much, he was still relieved when news came of their victory. Wesley was reading some foreign language when Fred made a squeaky noise, which Wes knew was her way of getting excited.

"Here," she said, reading from the page. " 'And after the First Evil is destroyed, there will be a time of great peace as evil will subside for a period.' That's good right?"

Wes read along, "Yes, well, It can't be bad," he murmured.

"Unless," Fred said thinking. "It mean that evil is just gearing up for it next plan."

"Evil doesn't take a break," Angel said, appearing from the shadows in true Angel-fashion. "That'd be too easy."

"So what do you think it means?" Fred asked.

Angel picked up the large book the two others had been looking at and read it. " See," He said flipping the page and showed them a picture of scantly clad priests who were dancing around a fire. "The priests who wrote this prophecy were ancient crack pots. They'd do drugs then have hallucinations that they believed were visions of the future. C'mon Wes, you're losing your edge."

He said teasing Wesley who sniffed in his pompous English manner.

"I knew it wasn't true," Wesley said trying to defend himself. 

"Right," Angel said smirking. "What did you find on the Amulet?"

Wesley shook his head. "Sorry Angel. I didn't find anything about it that we didn't already know. Plus, some of information about it has been lost and the translation's too hard. It'll take a while."

Angel raised his eyebrows. "Yeah, but now we have a whole firm dedicated to stuff like this. Get some help."

Wesley nodded and Fred smiled. "Are you going out?" She asked him. 

"I'm going to go see if Gunn needs any help," Angel replied and left.

Weley and Fred looked at eashother and sighed. They both knew what had sprouted the recent dark cloud that surrounded Angel. 

#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#

  


Angel wandered around the city. At least he felt more comfortable here than at Wolfram & Hart. He knew he owned the creepy law firm now, but the place still gave him the willies. He had run into Gunn on his way out. Gunn said they discovered the nest and destroyed the demons easily. Angel said okay and they parted ways as Gunn enter the building and Angel exited. Angel wasn't sure, but something was definitely different about Gunn. He knew things had changed between him and Fred, but this was a changed that had occurred at Wolfram & Hart. Another reason why Angel was regretting his decision of accepting the offer Lilah had proposed. 

No activity tonight. The underside had probably all heard about Buffy's victory and were calming down. Angel went back to the Hyperion Hotel. It was his home once before, back in 1952, but it was different then. Now, it had been his home for close to three years. He walked around the deserted lobby. Here's where he saw Cordy all giddy and unpacking after they moved into the grand hotel. Angel touched a spot on the wall where he had flung a Kreflak demon into. So much had happened to them here. He looked over at the counter and remembered Cordy holding baby Connor there. Conner. He still retained his memories of Connor, though no one else would. Connor was his son and as strange as it was to be without him, it never felt right when he was here. Angel was glad that Lilah had accepted his deal, a new life for Connor and he'd take over the law firm. 

Cordelia's scent still lingered in the lobby. Angel closed his eyes. Suddenly, he raised his hand, knocking someone back into the ground. The smaller, hooded figure laid unmoving on the floor. Angel walked over to the attacker and lifted it's hood. "You!?" He exclaimed, looking into the face of the last blond he thought he'd ever see. 

  


  


Mwa ha ha ha! I'm bad, I know. Who is it? Half of you will guess right, the other half won't. Tell me what you think. I've gotten a little bolder since my last fic. Thanks for all the feedback so far.


	4. The Blond Bombshell pt1

  


Chapter Four: The Blond Bombshell

Angel was in total shock. He was more surprised than he had ever been in his two-hundred plus years of life. The person stirred as Angel just watched in disbelief. Angel didn't think he'd see them again. He scooped them up in his arms and made is way back to Wolfram & Hart.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  


"Okay, make a right at the stop sign," Willow said to Giles as she watched for familiar landmarks. They had just arrived in L.A and Buffy decided the best place to go would be Angel's. Willow directed Giles to the street and he pulled the bus alongside the curb in front of the Hyperion Hotel. 

Buffy rubbed her hands on her jeans. "Okay, here I go." She said it but she didn't move. 

Xander reached over and squeezed her shoulders. Dawn smiled warmly and Willow nodded. Faith gave her a thumbs up and Giles opened the bus door. "Yeah, I'll be back in a minute," she said, half-jokingly. Buffy walked up the walkway that lead to the front door. 

  


***"I think that qualifies as happy to see me," Angel said her after their last encounter.

  


***"I'm not going to say good-bye. I'm just going to leave. Understand?"

  


***Angel was there for her when her mom died. 

"The funeral was... " Buffy sighed. "It was brutal, but it's tomorrow that I'm worried about."

"What's tomorrow?"  
"That's exactly what I don't know. Up until now I've had a road map. Things to do every minute, having to do with Mom."   
"Tomorrow the stuff of everyday living resumes."  
"And everybody expects me to know how to do it, because... I'm so strong." She finished sarcastically.

"I can stay in town as long as you want me."  
"How's forever? Does forever work for you?" They looked at each other for a moment and were soon kissing passionately until they both pulled away. Angel, ever the gentleman apologized, but she told him that she was grateful he came. "I didn't think I would make it through the night."

Looking at the sky, Angel announced, "I have only a few more minutes before I have to go." 

Buffy settled against his chest, "Good." ***

  


*** The night of the prom where Angel had broken up with her. 

"I've been thinking... about our future. And the more I do, the more I feel like us... You and Me... Being together is unfair to you. You deserve more. You deserve something outside of demons and darkness. You should be with someone who can take you into the light. Someone who can make love to you. I'm sorry. Buffy... you know how much I love you. It kills me to say this.""Heart? You have a heart? It isn't even beating."  
****"Don't."  
"Don't what? Don't love you? I'm sorry. You know what? I didn't know that I got a choice in that. I'm never gonna change. I can't change. I want my life to be with you."  
"I don't."  
"You don't want to be with me? I can't believe you're breaking up with me."

"It doesn't mean that I don't..."

"How am I supposed to stay away from you?" Buffy was already near tears. She couldn't believe that the love of her life was leaving her. ***

  


He never really let her down though..

  


*******"I never thought you'd come."  
"It's a big night. I didn't want to miss it. It's just tonight. It doesn't mean that I..."  
****"I know. I mean, I understand."  
"Dance with me". ***

  


Buffy stopped at the front door closing her eyes before she but her and on the door handle.

  


***A passionate night. Angel's lips, his hands caressing her. She felt him inside. Pure bliss. ***

  


But that night had consequences. Angel lost his soul. It was her fault. She was responsible for that. Stupid ironic poetic justice.

  


***"You know what the worst part was, huh? Pretending that I loved you. If I'd known how easily you'd give it up, I wouldn't have even bothered.

"That doesn't work anymore. You're not Angel."  
****"You'd like to think that, wouldn't you? It doesn't matter. The important thing is you made me the man I am today!" ***

***She had managed to bring him back, Willow re-ensouled him and Buffy plunged a knife into his gut. ****

"What's happening?"  
"Shh. Don't worry about it. I love you."  
"I love you."  
"Close your eyes." ***

***"Angel?  
****"Hmm?  
****"Do you snore?  
"I don't know. It's been a long time since anybody's been in a position to let me know." ***

He had stayed the night that night. And the next day when she got home from school. They shared their first kiss. Buffy smiled to herself, remembering. The exchange of heat and tongues. Then he vamped out, scaring her to death.

*** Their first encounter...

"And who are you?"

"Let's just say... I'm a Friend."

"Yeah, well, maybe I don't want a friend?"

"I didn't say I was yours.***

  


***"Sorry you had to wait. Okay. Look, if you're gonna be popping up with this cryptic wise man act on a regular basis can you at least tell me your name?***  
"Angel.  
****"Angel. It's a pretty name." ***


	5. The Blond Bombshell pt2

  


Chapter Five: The Blond Bombshell Pt. 2

  


Buffy shook all the thoughts of Angel out of her head. She turned the handle and entered the hotel. She moved stealthily, so as not to disturb anyone. She looked around. There. A familiar figure stood in the middle of the lobby. She smiled, deciding best to creep up on him. She reached out, but no one was there. It was just a figment of her imagination. The funny thing was the figment wasn't of Angel. It was of her other lover. A familiar scent filled her nose, making her eyes water as she stood in the middle of the lobby of the hotel, quivering. 

  


***"Last night was the best night I have ev'r 'ad in all my years. It was the first time I was close to someone." ***

****

*******"Angel. He should have warned me." Buffy suddenly realized what he was talking about. "He makes a good show of forgetting," Spike continued. "But it's here, in me... all the time. The spark." He paused. "I wanted to give you... what you deserve. And I got it. They put the spark in me. And now all it does is burn."  
****"Your soul."  
Spike laughed, "Bit worse for lack of use."  
****"You got your soul back. How?"  
****"It's what you wanted, right? It's what _you_ wanted, right?! And-and now everybody's in here, talking. Everything I did, everyone I. and _him_. And it. The other... the thing... beneath... beneath you. It's here, too. Everybody... they all just tell me go. Go... to hell."  
****"Why? Why would you do that?"  
****"Buffy, shame on you. Why does a man do what he mustn't? For _her_. To be _hers_. To be the kind of man who would nev..." His voice cracked. He was close to crying. "To be a kind of _man_. And she shall look on him with forgiveness... and everybody will forgive and love." Buffy watched as Spike went to the cross at the front of the church they were in. "He will be loved." To her horror he draped himself over the cross. His skin beginning to burn_._ "So everybody's okay, right?" Buffy was crying. "C-can we rest now? Buffy? Can we rest?" ***

  


***"Stop, Spike Get off!

"I'm going to make you feel it!" ***

Buffy cringed at that memory. It was one of the worst nights of her life. 

  


***He tried stopping her from confessing to Katrina's 'murder'. He said that he had dumped the body and no one would ever know. 

"You are not going in there."

"I have to do this. Just let me go."

"I can't. I love you." 

"No you don't"

"You think I haven't tried not to?" 

She flung him into a can. "Try harder."

"You are not throwing your life away over this."

"It's not your choice!"

"Why are you doing this to yourself?"

"A girl is dead because of me"

"And how many people are alive because of you? How many have you saved? One dead girl doesn't tip the scale." 

"That's all this is to you, just another dead body?"

"Buffy!"

"You can't understand why this is killing me. Can you?" 

"Explain it." She hit him. "That's it put it on me, put it all on me. That's my girl."

"I am not your girl! You don't have a soul There is nothing good or clean in you You are dead inside. You can't feel anything real. I could never be your girl." She hit him over and over. She stood back in horror as she saw what she had done to him. She beat him into a bloody pulp.

"You always hurt the one you love, pet"

  


***Fighting in the abandoned building, after she found out his chip didn't work.

"I wasn't planning on hurting you... much."

"You haven't even come close to hurting me!"

"Afraid to give me the chance?

"You afraid I'm gonna..."

Suddenly she forced her mouth on his and he stared at her. He didn't question it long, as he kissed her back. Crashing against walls, but never letting go of each other's lips. He lifted her up as she wrapped her legs around him and unzipped his pants and suddenly he was there. A moment of confusion, realization, and the odd sense of it being right passed as he thrust into her. They kissed again. And the building began to crumble around them. They crashed through the floor, her landing on top of him. ***

  


***She discovered him in Glory's place, bleeding, bruised. She had planned to knock him senseless, but she didn't. Instead, she took pity on him. Even though he had made a Buffybot and had sex with it which was just gross. He had changed her perception of him in a single sentence. She walked into Spike's crypt disguised as the Buffybot.

"If anything happened to Dawn, it'd destroy you, and I couldn't live with you being in that much pain." 

After he said that, she placed a gentle kiss on his lips. He pulled away first, realizing it was the Real Buffy. ***

  


******* "I love you." Spike said.  
Buffy looked away, sickened, "Oh my God."  
Spike lifted her chin to look at her. "No, look at me. I love you. You're all I bloody think about... dream about. You're in my gut... in my throat... I'm drowning in ya Summers, drowning." ***

  


*******Spike opened door for her. What are you doing?" Buffy said.   
"I... I... was... I wasn't thinking."  
"What is this?"  
"Oh, don't get your knickers twisted, I was..."  
"What is this? The late-night stakeout, the bogus suspects, the flask! Is this a date?"  
"God. please! A date! You are completely off your bird! I mean..." He changed his tone. "Do you want it to be?"  
Buffy was utterly disgusted. "Oh my God!" ***

  


Of course, they didn't always get along. 

***"When I get this spell reversed, they'll be finding your body for weeks."  
"Oh, make a move. Please. I'm dying for a good slay! " ***

  


***"Look at my poor neck . all bare, and tender, and exposed. All that blood, just pumping away."  
****"Giles, make her stop!" ***

***"Oh, do it again. It tickles. You know, in a good way." Spike said after Buffy staked him_._   
****"The Gem."  
****"Oh yeah, the Gem of Amara. Official sponsor of my killing you." ***

***"Do we really need weapons for this?"  
" No. I just like them. They make me feel all manly. ***

  


Flashbacks kept invading Buffy's mind. Their late night sex-capades. Their kiss behind the alley after that weird singing and dancing day. Crashing through the floor after their fight lead to a night that was wild and passionate. His return after he earned his soul. That night in the abandoned house, curled in each other's arms. All the times they spent talking, fighting, doing things that most people wouldn't do. She had fallen in love with Angel, and still cared for him deeply, but with Spike it was different. She had grown because of Spike. He brought out the absolute worst tin her while still managing to bring out the very best. She loved him for that. 

  


***"I love you."

"No you don't. But thanks for saying it."***

  


Spike thought it wasn't true what she had told him. But it was. She had thought he couldn't love her when he did because he was a soulless, useless demon. But he did. She loved him for everything he had given her and everything he had taken from her. He protected her sister and her friends when she couldn't. And they were actually friends, despite being mortal enemies. Spike.

"Hey, Buffy?" Buffy turned to see Willow and Xander entering the hotel. 

"We got worried." Willow said.

"Is everything all right?" Xander asked. He looked around the hotel and whistled. "Whew, this sure beats the Best Western with the heated pool in Sunnydale."

Willow elbowed Xander in the ribs. She went to Buffy's side. "Are you all right?"

Buffy nodded, shaking herself out of the trance she had been in, and blinked back those unused tears. "Let's get Robin to a hospital," she said.

"Oh, uh, we got a call from Angel on Giles' cell phone. He wants us to meet him at a place called Wolfram & Hart. It sounds like a law firm." Willow told her.

"Giles had a cell phone?" Xander asked, but dropped the subject when Willow gave him a Look. 

"Fine," Buffy said. Taking one last look at the hotel she had another flashback. 

  


***"Good-bye William." ***

  


She closed the door behind her. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

  


Angel paced back and forth. The team of doctors that had been working on the person he brought in worked hard. They called out phrases that Angel didn't understand, but figured out they were mainly bad news. Wes, Fred and Gunn had all come when they heard of who Angel had brought. Angel bit his nails while Fred did her best to comfort him. She really didn't know about his past with the blond-haired stranger, but Angel was obviously concerned. Wesley did his best to look distressed, but couldn't hide his obvious disdain for the ailing person. He read a book instead. Gunn just stood at the doorway, looking around like some sort of suspicious FBI agent.

Finally, after almost three hours, a doctor emerged from the operating room to talk with Angel. "You can go in now," he said. Angel thanked and rushed into the room. He stared at the person on the bed. He couldn't think of what to say. The blonde's eyes opened slowly. The gray-blue eyes looked around, dreamily. Then focused on Angel.

"Oh, bugger. I'm in Hell."

  



	6. Bitter

Chapter Six: Bitter

  


(Sorry. It took longer to write this chapter than the first ones. Don't be pissed off at the end. Keep reviewing. Thanks!)

  


Spike tried to move, but his whole body screamed with pain. He tried to swallow, but his throat burned. He could only open his eyes and that was painful in its own. He didn't know where he was, how he got there, or why in the bloody hell Angel was there. All he could remember is Buffy. Buffy. Her big, green eyes looking up at him with all the emotion she had as he burned into cinders. That had been the strangest feeling in the world. He had been burned before, he risked bursting into flames every time he ventured out with nothing but an old wool blanket. But that last time was, different. It didn't feel like he was burning at all, instead he felt cool, then weightless, then at complete peace. He remembered he wanted to see this end through, he couldn't leave with Buffy as much as he wanted to, he couldn't. Something was holding him back. Then there was Buffy, urging him to come with him, she didn't say it but he could see it in her eyes. But he didn't go, he stayed, and he died. 

He died? Spike looked around again. Angel was hovering above him, concerned look on his face and all. "Angel?" He managed to cough out. 

"Spike?" the elder vampire spoke. But Spike's eyes had rolled to the back of his head. A monitor began beeping. A doctor and two nurses rushed over. They checked over him and turned off the monitor. But another began beeping and they began compression's. 

"Please wait outside," the doctor told Angel.

"But.." Angel protested but a dark eyed nurse lead him out shutting the door. Angel watched through the glass window. He turned around angrily and kicked a chair sending it flying through another window. He stormed out of the medical center. Earlier, he had sent Fred and Wesley to find out everything they could about Shanshu. The prophecy that would be invoked by the amulet he had given Buffy. 

He reached the library in seconds even though it was in another section of the building, thanks to his vampire abilities. "Fred! Wes! What did you find?" He demanded rather than asked. 

Wesley shook his head. "I'm sorry Angel," he said. "I'm still where I was before on those translations. 'The vampire will become human.. if his destiny is fulfilled.' That's all."

Fred was busy in front of the screen of a computer laptop. She looked up at Angel, apologetic. "I can't find anything." 

Angel slammed his fist down hard on the table. He didn't want to seem anxious, but he was. Spike wasn't exactly his friend or anything. But Angel thought he was dead. Actually dead. Not living dead. Dead dead. When he heard Buffy and her friends had made it out of Sunnydale, he just assumed... Wait, why did he assume Spike had died? Why wasn't it possible to think that Spike had saved the day and got the girl? That's it. He didn't want Spike to do that. He still wanted to be **the** Champion. 

But for now, his main focus would be why Spike was there. "I'm sorry, Fred," he said. "Wes, I just wanna find out what is going on."

"I understand, Angel," the mild-mannered Brit said. "There had to be some explanation for Spike's appearance. I mean I, myself thought Spike was..."

"Dead?" Angel supplied. "Yeah me too." Angel sighed. "I'd better get back down there. Something started beeping and those doctors kicked me out." Wesley nodded curtly and Angel left.

Wesley looked over at Fred who was staring intently at her screen. "Fred? What is it?"

"I think I..." Fred started. She frowned at her screen. "This... This doesn't make sense," she murmured. 

"What doesn't?"

"This, " she turned the laptop to Wesley.

"My God," he stared at the screen. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  


"Everything okay?" Dawn asked. 

"Yeah," Buffy said. She stared straight ahead. Something wasn't right. She could feel it. It nagged at the back of her mind. 

"Hey, this place we're headed to, Wolfram & Hart, what is it?" Xander asked.

"It used to be a evil law firm," Faith explained. "They hired me to take out Angel. Angel must've struck up some sort of mutual agreement with them."

"From what I have heard, their power was dwindling, until they hired new management," Giles said.

"Angel must be the new management, huh?" Xander said. They all were silent until the bus rolled up right in front of an awesome looking building. They all filed out of the bus. Buffy was the last to leave the bus. Xander and Faith helped Robin into an awaiting wheelchair. Giles and Willow whispered respectfully amongst themselves. Buffy closed her eyes. 'This is it,' she told herself. She inhaled deeply. 

"Buffy?" Dawn held out her hand for her sister. Buffy smiled and took her younger sister's hand. Together they walked into the building.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  


When Angel returned to the operating room, the nurses had closed the blinds to Spike's room. The beeping alarm was no longer sounding. Angel looked around then grabbed the doctor who had ben working on Spike before as he passed by. 

"Mr. Angel!" the doctor said startled. 

"What happened?" He demanded.

"Well, uh..." the doctor fixed his coat as Angel let go his grip on the doc's arm. "We managed to stabilize the patient," he said. "But I'm afraid he's not going to be waking up soon. He's suffered major brain trauma and his organs look as if they're rebuilding. It's almost like he's a fetus."

"A fetus?" Angel echoed. Suddenly, something hit him. "Is he human?" 

The doctor looked at him, puzzled. "Yes. But it's the strangest thing..."

"What is?"

"He tried to bite one of the nurses."

"Angel!" Gunn burst into the room. All FBI secret agent man. "There are some people here to see you."

"Buffy," Angel turned away from the doctor who scurried away before he could be interrogated by the vampire again. Angel thought fast. He didn't want Buffy to know Spike was here, not yet at least. If Spike was here, then it meant they all thought he was dead too. "Thanks, Gunn. Stay here and don't let anyone in." He told his friend and Gunn nodded and stationed himself in front of Spike's room. Angel quickly walked through the hallways. He went over in his mind of things to say. Lying was his best bet. Couldn't tell about Spike, so he decided to play it dumb. 

He arrived at the front lobby of Wolfram & Hart and saw her. She looked fatigued and her eyes were downcast. They all looked pretty tired. Giles looked older, around the eyes. Willow, shy little Willow, she was always Angel's favorite of the Scoobies. She had a different air about her, more confident and almost divine. Xander, he and Xander had never been friends, but they had a mutual understanding. Dawn, she had grown so much, she was an exact replica of Buffy, just taller. There was a small, blond nervous-looking kid that Angel didn't recognize. He inhaled and went to greet them.

"Hey, guys," Angel said sticking his hand s in his pockets. "How's it going?" That seemed to lighten the mood a little. 'Play it cool,' Angel thought. 'Nothing heavy.'

"Hi Angel," Dawn said smiling warmly. 

"Hi Dawnie," Angel gave her a hug. He nodded at Xander. "Xander," he said shaking Xander's hand. 

"Nice set up you got here, Angel," Xander said looking around. "We stopped by that hotel you were at but, this. This is nice."

"Thanks," Angel said. "I'd like to give you a tour, but I'm pretty sure we'd get lost. I'll get someone to do it though." He looked over at Buffy. She met his gaze for a moment then looked down. 'Hi, Buffy," He said. 

"Hi," was all she said. There was an uncomfortable silence until Faith walked up.

"They said Robin was going to be okay. The doctors gave him some drugs for the pain. This place is huge," Faith said then looked over at Angel. "Angel!" She exclaimed and hugged him tightly. 

Buffy couldn't help that small twinge at the back of her mind. "Well," Angel smiled at the group. "Come on then, I'll show you around."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  
"So, what happened?" Angel asked. He and Buffy were walking along the hallways together. The rest of the gang had all settled into offices Angel had converted into rooms. Dawn and Willow shared a room. Xander and Andrew, (Angel finally found out his name) against Xander's protests. Giles wanted to room by himself, and no one complained. Faith offered to bunk with Buffy, and to everyone's surprisement, including her own, Buffy accepted. She just didn't want to be in there while Faith was awake. Faith may have helped them destroy the Big Bad, but Buffy wasn't ready to become best friends just yet. 

Instead, she opted for a late night stroll with Angel through the grounds of Wolfram & Hart. Angel noticed her shuffling feet and lack of pace and she wasn't being very talkative either. Every time Angel tried to initiate a conversation, he'd get a glum expression, 'uh huhs, and shrugs." He finally got the nerve to ask her how the whole apocalyptic showdown went.

"Hmm?" Buffy hadn't been listening. "What'd you say?"

Angel sighed in that irritated little manner he got, "I asked, what happened?"

"Oh," Buffy looked down as they walked. "You know, encouraging speech, killer Uber Vamps, a mass awakening of every potential slayer..."

"A what?" Angel stopped.

Buffy shrugged and smiled lop-sided, "I came up with a plan and Willow tapped into the power of that scythe thingy that I killed Caleb with, and she did it. She was," Buffy chuckled, "amazing." 

Angel stared at Buffy. So that was it, the change in Willow. All that power, all those new lives, she harnessed it all. She became a, goddess. "Wow, Go Will."

"Yeah. Funny, isn't it? Willow and Xander. My Shy Willow, so powerful now. Xander, lost so much..." Buffy choked up at the memory of Caleb, the psychotic preacher, holding her friend up by his neck, lodging his thumb into Xander's eye socket, blood trickling out, running down his face. Spike, of all people, decking Caleb and pulling Xander to safety before he lost his other eye. "He," she continued after regaining her composure, "was so strong. Stronger than me at some points. He's not that boy with the smart ass comeback anymore. Well," she rolled her eyes. "He's still a smart-ass. He's just more mature."

Angel nodded. "What about you? What'd you do?"

Buffy shrugged and began walking again. "What didn't I do? I was all gung-ho and stuff at first, then I let them down and got in the way. I managed to get kicked out by my own sister, came back, fixed the mess they made. Then had the Big Fight, lost people..." She trailed off. "Must've been a Tuesday." She said hallow-voiced.

"Mmm hmm," Angel said. They reached the end of the corridor, turned back around and started back the same way the came. "I'm just glad you guys made it out of there, alive." 

"Yeah." Buffy wrapped her arms around herself. She knew Angel was avoiding the subject of Spike. He was probably still upset about having to give the amulet up to him. She pursed her lips in annoyance.

"What?" He asked. "What is it?"

She shook her head. "Nothing." 

"Buffy, I can tell something's wrong. I know you." He said.

She turned to face him. "Fine. Why didn't you ask about Spike?" 

"What?"

"Why didn't you ask about him?"

"I just figured you know, he didn't make it." 

"Uh huh," Buffy said, now she was getting upset . "And what? You figured that 'Hey, he's gone, so now you're the only Champion again'. Is that it?" 

Angel rolled his eyes, irritated. "God, what's wrong with you? Last time, you were a little friendlier with your greeting. Now, you're all defensive. Over Spike, no less."

"Hey!" She snapped. "Spike sacrificed himself to save us, to save me."

"Yeah, he's the real big hero."

Buffy stared at Angel with confinement. Then it hit her. "You can't stand it, can you? You're so used to playing the tortured vampire with a soul act that you can't play any other role. So what if Spike has a soul? At least he won't turn into his murderous alter ego when I sleep with him."

Angel's eyes narrowed. That last one hurt. "Buffy, Spike's dead. That's the thing about being a killer and having a soul. The burden becomes too much, and then you're just begging to die. Spike didn't save you, he just found an excuse."

Buffy's blood began to boil. She stepped into Angel, low and menacing, she growled. "He wasn't cursed. He earned his soul." With that she sail stalked away, leaving Angel in the middle of the hallway.


	7. Being Mature

Chapter Seven: Being Mature

(Thanks so much for the reviews everyone. Keep 'em coming.)

  


Faith was sitting on her bed. She couldn't really sleep, she was too worked up, too worried. Faith chuckled to herself. Worried, for the first time in a long time, she was worried about someone other than herself. She knew Robin was going to be okay. The bleeding seemed worse than it really was, the doctors had said. So, she tried to relax. It would've been nicer if Buffy was with her though. Faith surprised the hell out of herself when she asked Buffy to room with her, even more shocking Buffy said yes. But Buffy wasn't there, she left with Angel. Faith rolled her eyes. That girl, clingy wasn't strong enough a word. She just lost someone important to her, and now she was off with Angel, her old someone important.

Buffy burst through the door, heaving angrily. The whole room shook as she slammed the heavy door. Faith raised her eyebrows, " Whoa, B. What's up?"

Buffy paced around the room."Augh!" she yelled. "Damnit!"

"What?" Faith asked. She had never seen Buffy so upset. 

"Angel!" She exclaimed. "He doesn't understand anything. I told him that night I killed Caleb that I have feelings for Spike. And that Spike sacrificed himself for us, and he's pouting 'cause he didn't get to do it. "

Faith frowned. "Angel? I don't think he'd be that upset about it."

"Well, you don't know Angel," Buffy said flatly.

"Hey," Faith said standing up in front of Buffy. "I do know Angel. And he loves you. Why? Hell if I know."

Buffy stared at Faith. "You're such a bitch."

"No," Faith said. "You're the bitch here, Buffy. Angel knows about sacrifice, probably a lot more than any of us do. You can't blame him for being a little bitter. You're being so damn selfish that..."

"Oh I'm the selfish one?" Buffy asked. 

"Yes," Faith said flatly. "You are."

Buffy put her hands on her hips. "How's that?"

Faith threw up her arms. "Uh, maybe because you've been thinking of nothing but yourself since we left Sunnydale? Have you even asked Xander how he feels after losing that chick, Anya? Or talked to Willow about what she did for us? Asked Dawn how she's doing? And Giles? Even me, even though I don't expect it, you could ask how I've been." 

Buffy's eyes welled up. Faith was right. She let the other girl go on. "And instead of being so self-centered, you could try to understand what Angel's going through too. Shit, B, you know how it feels, to be the only one. That's what Angel is. He puts up with a lot. He's not a slayer. He wasn't destined to fight his kind, he's a vampire too. And just because you screwed another vamp, and lost him too, it's not Angel's fault." Faith finished. She braced herself for an attack, but Buffy just broke down. 

She sat at the foot of Faith's bed. She shook violently, shuddering as she cried. "You're right." She sobbed. "God, what's wrong with me?" 

Faith sat next to the blubbering slayer. "That just it. Nothing is wrong with you. Not everything is about you, B. Jeez, you're so lucky. You've had three gorgeous, sexy, caring guys who were totally in love you, you have friends, you're the slayer, you beat the First. That's why I get so jealous of you, man. You have everything that I've ever wanted, and you still get all plagued when someone doesn't love you for three seconds."

"We beat it."

"What?"

Buffy looked up at Faith. Her eyes were all red and puffy, her nose was runny. 'What does Angel see in you?' Faith wondered half-jokingly. "We did it. You, me, Xander, Willow, Dawn, Andrew, Giles, the girls, Anya, Spike... We beat it," Buffy said.

Faith grinned, "Yeah, we did." 

Buffy smiled back. She closed her eyes and sighed. Now, she had to figure out how to fix her fight with Angel.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  


"Xander?" 

"What?" Xander grumbled. He had just barely begun to fall asleep. He was thinking of Anya, and he wanted her face to be the last thing Xander saw before he fell asleep. Not Andrew's whiny voice.

"Are you awake?"

Xander sighed. "I am now."

"Oh. Just go back to sleep then," Andrew said.

Xander rolled his eye. "No, no, I'm up now. What do you want?"

"Well, I was just thinking..."

"Did it hurt?"

"Huh?" 

"Never mind."

Andrew shook his head. "I was just thinking. You guys brought back Buffy when she died right?"

"Which time?"

"The last time. Willow did that spell and Buffy came back. We could do that to bring back Anya."

Xander was now fully awake. He sat up in the bed and gaped at Andrew. "You're kidding me, right? We brought back Buffy because she's the slayer. We needed her."

"Don't you need Anya?" Andrew asked plainly. Xander didn't know what to say. Of course he needed Anya. There was no question about that. He needed her like he needed his other eye. Everything was clearer with her in his life. But bringing her back, was just... not an option. 

"No, well, yes. I need Anya. But we can't bring her back. We can't. When we brought Buffy back, there was consequences. Bad demon-y things came back with her. Plus, we don't know if Anya would come back as Anya, it's a wild card," Xander wasn't sure if he was trying to convince Andrew or himself."

"Oh, okay. Good night," Andrew said flipping over in his bed and falling right to sleep. Xander, on the other hand, was now wide awake. Stupid Andrew and his stupid ideas. They couldn't bring her back. They could, but they can't. Andrew sighed. He really wasn't asleep. Darn, he thought he had a good idea there. He'd just have to find some other way to bring Anya back, so that Xander would be happy.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The next morning, Fred woke up in the library. Wesley and an older man were reading from a large book. Last night after Angel had stormed in asking if they had found anything, she found something. Then Wes and her spent the entire night trying to verify this new find. She yawned. Wes looked up to see her awake.

"Fred, this is Rupert Giles, Buffy's watcher, well ex watcher," he said. The older man smiled kindly at the brown haired girl. 

"It's my pleasure," he said in a British accent. "Wesley tells me that you're, a- a scientist."

"Well," she blushed. "I was studying to be. Before I got stuck in Pylea for five years."

"Pylea?" The man's eyebrows went up to his hair line. "You were in Pylea for five years?"

"Yeah," she laughed. "I ran away from my masters and then Angel and his team got me out. Now, I'm back to being a science nerd."

"Impressive." 

"Fred, Mr. Giles and I have been researching that new prophecy you found. I'm afraid that it already could very well be in effect," Wesley said. 

"Are you sure?" Fred asked. The two men nodded. "Then what's going to happen next?"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

  


"I think Faith's right." 

"What?!" Buffy exclaimed. She'd been talking to Willow about her fight with Angel and Faith's opinion. She asked Willow what she thought of it, not thinking Willow would side with Faith. "Did you hear yourself? You just said that you thought Faith was right."

Willow nodded. "I know. As much as I'd hate to agree with her, she has a point. I would've said the exact same thing myself, only nicer and with better vocabulary."

Buffy exhaled. Willow was right. And she had known Faith was right, she just wanted to deny it until she talked to Willow. "I know," she conceded. " I wanted.. I dunno what I wanted but..."

"Buffy?" Willow knew exactly what her best friend was trying to say, or not to say. She felt the same way once. 

"I don't..." Buffy started to cry. "I don't want to give him up yet. Not just yet." 

"I know sweetie," Willow stroked her blond hair. "I know." 


	8. Favors

Chapter Eight: Favors

(Short Chapter, sorry.) 

  


Andrew nervously waited outside an office. He wished he was suaver. Coolly, waiting for his contact, wearing fedora and trench coat, holding a smoldering cigarette as he leaned up against a brick wall in an alley... No! a lamppost... in the rain. Waiting for a Blue-eyed innocent maven. In reality, he was waiting for an evil lawyer to come out of a meeting, but she was a foxy lawyer. The meeting let out and suits filed out of the office talking about where to do lunch. Andrew slipped in.

"Miss... uh Lilah," he squeaked. The room was like something out of Wall Street. Intimidated, he tried to speak without shaking. "I'd like to talk to you." 

"You're going to have to make an appointment with my secretary, kid," Lilah said. She looked up at the sneaker-clad boy and chuckled. "And I don't do the jumping out a cake bit anymore." 

"I'm not here to... You used to jump out of cakes?" Andrew looked the woman up and down. He could see it.

"You have three minutes kiddo," She said.

'Right,' Andrew thought. 'I am confident. I am strong. I am woman. No wait.' He strolled over to where she sat at the head of a long polished table. "I have a proposition for you." 

"Uh huh," Lilah said looking bored. "Cut to the chase mighty mouse."

Andrew sat in one of the leather furnished chairs. He leaned back but almost toppled backwards. "Ahem," he composed himself. "I need a favor. I know you can bring people back to life. I want you to bring someone back."

"My, my, you've been a nosy little mouse haven't you, Andrew?" Lilah clucked. She leaned forward. "You know, I can have you vanish in a blink of an eye."

Andrew swallowed ."I kn- know. But then you'd have the slayer on your tail so fast you'd beg to die again. And I'm sure Angel doesn't know everything that goes on here." 

Lilah grinned. "I like you. Okay, so say I snap my fingers and you get your deceased back. You'll have to do something for me."

"I will?"

"Of course. This is tit for tat, Andrew. I'll want my tat," Lilah said flexing her legs. Andrew shifted, then nodded. "Good. Since I know you're so good at the stealth, I want you to find out who's in that room Angel has guarded. He even has it magically guarded, so none of my employees can get in. It's like he doesn't trust me, but then again, I don't blame him. But you find out who's in there, and we have a deal."

Andrew shook his head. "I want my friend back first."

Lilah looked at Andrew. The kid wasn't going to back down, she could see it in his eyes. "Tell you what, we'll do it at the same time. You find out, I'll work on getting your friend back, and we'll swap at the same time."

"Deal," Andrew stuck out his hand and they shook on it.

"Now, Mighty Mouse, run along," Lilah said and Andrew scurried out. When he got back to his room he was skipping with joy. Xander was going to be so happy, then they'd all be best friends together. It'd be like Three's Company. He smiled, he always identified with Suzanne Somer's Chrissy. But he had the sinking feeling in the back of his mind that he had just bargained with the devil, and nothing good ever came from that. 

(Shahid, you must've been reading my mind about Xander and his Anya ordeal.) 


	9. One Week Later

  


Chapter Nine: One Week Later 

(I hope you all are enjoying this so far. If you don't, I'm sorry, tell me what I can do to make it better. Thanks and please keep reviewing.)

  


  


Angel watched Spike. There had been no movement, no activity coming from the bleach-blonde... whatever he was now, for almost a week now. He was fuming. He was still mad at Buffy, at the things she had said. The last time they'd met they'd left on good terms, no petty arguments. Of course, she had just been through the worst fight of her life. Still, that wasn't an excuse to take her anger out on him. Yeah, he had avoided the subject of Spike, for good reason too. He didn't want her to know he was here. There were still too many questions surrounding Spike, especially how he got here. He almost regretted calling Giles and inviting them here. Almost.

He left the room. Told Gunn to stay on guard. As he closed the door, he saw Faith leaving another room. "Faith!" The dark-haired slayer turned and gave Angel a smile and a nod. 

"Hey, Angel. What are you doing here?" She asked.

"Uh, just checking on someone. How's your friend?" He asked. 

"Doing better. He took it in the gut with a sharp, pointy object. He's tough," she told him.

"He must be to put up with you," Angel joked. 

Faith turned to him sharply. "We're not together."

"Oh, I just thought..."

"Thought wrong, vampire." They walked along to the elevator. Angel pressed the call button. "So, talked to Buffy lately?" She asked.

"Innocence isn't a good color on you, Faith," Angel replied.

Faith rolled her eyes. "Guilty. So, what's up with you guys? Haven't kissed and made up yet?"

"She just... she makes me crazy," he said, his fists balling.

Faith nodded, "I get you. Been there, deranged that. What I don't get is, why you're so worked up over it. I thought you didn't love her anymore." 

"I don't, I mean..." the elevator dinged and they entered it. Angel punched the button for the eight floor. "I still love her. I'm always going to. I'm not in love with her anymore. I just don't like the idea of her loving Spike."

Faith shrugged. "Doesn't matter much now, he's dust in the wind." The elevator stopped and Faith paled from the motion. 

"Are you okay?" Angel asked.

"Yeah. I uh, haven't been feeling so hot. Must be my nerves, finally catching up with me after our victory," Faith took a deep breath and stepped out of the elevator. "Listen, fang boy," she said before the elevator door closed. "You both are going through the same things, believe me. It's been over a week. Talk to her. "

"If she doesn't bite my head off first," Angel grumbled. 

"Don't tempt her," Faith winked. And they parted ways. Faith walked towards her room. She became dizzy and had to lean against the wall. "Whoa," she said. She shook it off then broke into a run so she'd make it to the bathroom before she vomited on the floor.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  


Xander walked down the hallway. 'Stop,' he told himself. 'You have to stop thinking about Anya. You can't bring her back. She's gone, accept that.' Maybe, he should ask Willow, she'd know what to do. He stopped walking when he heard the sound of someone retching. 

"Hello?" he said knocking lightly on the slightly opened door. He walked in the dark room "Are you all right in there? Do you need a hand? Or perhaps a bucket?" He switched on a light and good thing too because half a step further he would've ended up in someone's regurgitated waste. He looked around the room, the bathroom light was on, and the person was still heaving up probably everything they'd ever eaten. At least that's what it sounded like. He carefully stepped around the foul mess, and went to the bathroom. "Hey, are you okay?" 

"Go away!" The person yelled. He heard a flush. He knew that voice. 

"Faith?" Xander stepped back as she flung the door open. Faith stood there, pale and gaunt. She rolled her eyes at Xander, and pushed him out of her way. She sat on the edge of her bed, contemplating on whether or not she had to throw up again. "Are you sick?" Xander asked.

"No, I like puking my guts out for fun," Faith said sarcastically. 

"Hey, I don't know what floats your boat," Xander said. He went into the bathroom as grabbed a towel. He began mopping up the throw-up he nearly stepped in.

"And who says chivalry's dead?" Faith mumbled.

Xander wiped up the last of the vomit. "I don't think cleaning up your gross mess qualifies as being chivalrous, but you're welcome."

Faith groaned and cradled her head in her hands. "I feel like shit." 

"You look like it too. But in a good way," Xander said after receiving a death glare from the sick girl.

"Have you talked to Buffy, lately?" Faith asked. 

"No, why?" Xander asked curiously.

"No reason. You think you can get a girl some water?" She asked. 

"Yeah," he jumped up and got a dixie cup and filled it in the sink. "`You know maybe you should go and see the doctor."

"No, I'll be fine."

He handed her the water and she stared at it. "Yeah, you look it."

She finally sipped at the liquid. She checked the clock on the wall. "Damn! Robin's getting out of the infirmary today." She got up to change her stained shirt. She pulled it up over her head and a wave of nausea rushed over her.

"Whoa there," Xander was at her side in a flash. "Seriously, are you okay?"

"Yeah... I'm..." Faith fainted dead away into Xander's arms. 

"Yeah, you're going to the doctor right now," Xander picked her up in his arms and carried her off.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  


"This is crazy," Angel said as he read the paper Fred had given him. 

"Crazy, but very, very true," Giles said taking his glasses off and cleaning him. 

"Are you positive that this will happen?" Angel asked.

Wesley nodded. "One hundred percent. In fact, the some of the plans have already taken effect."

"They have?" Giles asked. "I don't think Spike isn't going to return anytime soon, or else he already has..." Giles said seeing the guilty looks of Angel, Wesley and Fred. "When were you planning on saying anything?" He asked Angel.

"That's not the point. The point is, the rest of this prophecy is going to come true. I need to do something about it," He turned to leave and Giles caught him on the arm.

"You haven't told Buffy about Spike, have you Angel?" The ex-watcher asked. 

"No, I'm not going to, and neither are you," Angel in a warning tone. "It easier this way. Not getting her involved."

Giles nodded, no doubt not liking it but understanding. "Where is he?" 

"In a secure location." 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  


Xander and Willow hung around outside in the lobby while a doctor examined Faith. He had run into Willow and Buffy while getting Faith to the doctor's They helped him get her to the hospital wing. They saw Robin leaving and Buffy offered to take him to his room. 

"Want a soda, Will?" Xander asked. The red head said no and they sat in silence.

"Hey, look at that," Willow pointed out two guards stationed at a room down the hall. "What are they doing there?"

Xander shrugged. "Maybe they're keeping someone there." 

"Like who?" Willow and Xander watched as a doctor showed a clearance pass to the guards before entering the room. Then a muscular looking black man in a suit spoke to the two guards. 

"who's that?" Xander whispered. 

"I dunno," Willow whispered back. "I wonder..."

"Wonder what?" 

" Well, the last time I was here, you know to re-ensoul Angel, something was wrong with..."

"With who?"

Willow furrowed her eyebrows, "Cordelia. She seemed different."

"Different? Willow, we haven't even seen her since we've been here," Xander pointed out.

"You're right. Xander, what if something happened to her and Angel's hiding it from us? We have to find out if she's all right," Willow stood up and walked to the room the guards were in front of. "Come on," she mouthed to Xander. He tried being casual, but Xander was anything but smooth. 

"Where are you going?" The guards stopped them from entering. One of the guards, the bigger of the two, Xander thought, grabbed him by the arm.

"Going? We're... er..." Xander looked over at Willow helplessly. "We're... uh... going..."

"Uh, we're going to see a friend... um... Angel sent us," Willow smiled trying to be convincing. 

"Mr. Angel? Do you have clearance?" The other guard asked.

"Clearance?" Willow squeezed.

"Hey," Xander shrugged off the guard. "We don't need clearance, we're his friends." 

"I don't care if you're his mother," the guard grabbed Xander's arm and twisted it behind his back. I need to see a clearance." The big guard said. 

"Okay ow," Xander struggled against the guy's meaty grip. The two friends glanced at each other thinking of a good lie, when Willow saw Wesley come around the corner. 

"Wesley!" Willow called. 

Wesley walked over to the two. "What are doing here?"

"Faith fainted and Xander brought her down here," the witch explained.

"Is she all right?"

"She's fine, but we wanted to see Cordelia," Willow said.

"Yeah, but Bluto and his friend here, won't let us through," Xander said. "Ow!" The guards smashed him hard against the wall.

Wesley stepped between the two. "Let him go," he menaced.

"Sir?" 

"Now," Wesley's eyes were hard as he stared down the guard.

"Yes, sir." The large guard let him go. Xander stretched his arm out and glared at him with his one eye.

Wesley cleared his throat. "Now, you'd both better go. You're not allowed here."

"But, Cordelia..." Willow trailed.

"Cordelia isn't here. I suggest you leave," Wesley said and opened the door and left them bewildered. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Buffy closed the door to Robin's room. She got him settled in his bed. He asked for Faith and she had told him that she had gone somewhere with Willow and Xander. She walked down the hallway, stopped at Giles' room. He wasn't there. She wanted to talk to him, but then again she didn't want to hear his opinion on Spike, she already knew it. Dawn wasn't in her room either. Andrew talked her into going off to explore the rest of the firm, like he had been doing. It didn't matter much, Buffy had kind of been dodging a sisterly talk and she figured Dawn didn't want to talk either. So, she walked alone, as usual. Until a familiar shadow caught her eye. 

"Angel." 

He stepped out from behind her. "Hey."

"You following me?"

"Maybe."

They stopped and faced each other. Neither one looked at the the other, Angel shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other. "Listen," Buffy broke the silence. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said the things I said."

"Yeah, shouldn't have." Angel replied. "But, you were right. Partly. I was avoiding talking about Spike and I did figure he had died. And yeah, I couldn't stand the thought of you being with Spike in any way."

Buffy kicked at nothing with her shoe. "I know. But you have to understand..."

"What he did," Angel finished. "I do. I still can't believe he saved the day. 

That used to be my gig." 

"It still is." They smiled at each other. Buffy and Angel walked together the way she had been heading before. "We're okay now, right?" Buffy asked.

"Always."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  


"What do you want me to look for" Fred asked examining the tube of blood Wesley just handed her. 

"Check if it's human," Wesley said. 

"Okay." Fred left. Wesley and Giles busied themselves. 

"Wes!" Gunn burst in. "We have a problem, in the infirmary." Wesley and Giles looked at each other. 

"Let's go," Wes said as Giles and Gunn followed him out.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* 

  


"Let me go!" The blond squirmed in Bluto the Guard's grip. "Dawn tell them to let me go!"

"You shouldn't have stole those stethoscopes then, Andrew " Dawn retorted. 

"I wasn't going to steal them, I wanted to hear my heartbeat," Andrew said.

"Dawn! What happened?" Xander and Willow jogged up to her and Andrew.

"Nothing," Dawn rolled her eyes. "Andrew tried to steal..."

"I wasn't stealing!"

"Whatever." 

"Okay, okay, we'll take care of them from here guys," Xander said putting his hand on Bluto's arm to let Andrew go, but the other guard grabbed him and pushed him up against the wall. "Hey, no need for the roughness." Xander said.

"What is this?" Wesley, Gunn and Giles arrived at the scene. "Willow, what's going on?" Giles asked.

Willow gave him a withering look. "I guess these guards caught Andrew stealing..."

"I was not stealing!"

"Whatever. We heard the commotion and Xander tried to help."

"Let them go," Wesley said. Gunn checked Andrew and did find a stethoscope. 

"I wasn't..." Andrew said and sheepishly hid behind Dawn. 

"Is everything under control here?" Gunn asked. The guards nodded. "Then return to your stations."

"What are you two doing here?" Giles asked Willow and Xander. 

"Faith collapsed. We brought her here," Xander explained.

"Good Lord, is she all right?" 

"The doctor's said it's probably dehydration. But Giles," Willow dropped her voice to a whisper. "I think they," she looked at Gunn and Wesley who were talking quietly amongst themselves, "are hiding something in that guarded room."

Giles took his glasses off and cleaned them. "What do you suppose it could be?"

"Well, we think something happened to Cordelia," Xander said also whispering. 

"Cordelia?"

"Yeah. And Giles? I don't like this place. There's a lot of negative energy here, I feel it," Willow said.

Suddenly an ear-piercing alarm went off. Doctors rushed into the room the guards were guarding. Wesley and Gunn rushed over too. So, Giles, Willow, Xander, Dawn and Andrew scurried to the room. The guards didn't let them in and the nurses had closed the blinds. 

"What's happening?" Dawn asked.

"I- I don't know," Giles replied, cleaning his glasses again. Just then, Buffy and Angel arrived. 

"Stay here," he barked at the gang and went into the room. 

"How'd you guys get here?" Xander asked.

"We were coming to check on Faith when we heard an alarm. Angel practically flew here. Is there something going on?" Buffy asked. She noticed Giles' demeanor changed slightly. 

"What if it is Cordelia?" Xander asked Willow. "And she's sick or dying."

"Where is Cordelia? I didn't even notice that she wasn't here," Buffy said.

"Because you've ben too wrapped up in yourself," Dawn muttered.

"What?" 

"Nothing."

"It's not Cordelia," Willow spoke up. 

"What? Who is it then?" Xander asked getting impatient.

Willow closed her eyes. She couldn't get a read on the person in the room. There were too many people in there. She focused on the room. She saw all the doctors and nurses working diligently on the patient who was laid on the gurney. Angel, Wesley, and the black man she recognized from earlier, were all hovering near. She did feel Cordelia's presence, but not in that room. There, the person who laid on the gurney... The color drained from Willow's face. She opened her eyes, "Oh my god..." She met Buffy's eyes. They widened and the blonde shoved aside the two guards and threw open the door to the room. Then she blacked out.

  



	10. Just Move On

  


Chapter Ten: Just Move On

(Thanks for all the reviews. Please keep them coming.)

  


Spike could hear them all talking. They woke him up. He held his hands over his ears, the voices were starting to get all garbled. "Bloody hell, shut up!" He yelled. But the people around him ignored him. "Hey! I'm talking to you!" He grabbed at a passerby's arm, but his hand went right through. "What the...?" He looked around the room. The people were doctors, they were all looking over this person on a gurney. His morbid curiosity made him peer over their shoulder, even though he knew who was on that bed. He stared into his own face. His knees weakened. 

"It's a trip isn't it?" Spike spun around to see Faith leaning up against a wall. 

"What are you doing here?" He asked.

"You know, I dunno. Last time I was unconscious I ended up in Angel's warped mind," Faith replied lighting a cigarette. She took a long drag. "Hmm, I guess I'm going to have to stop this." She eyed her cigarette.

"Where are we?" Spike asked.

Faith laughed. "Somewhere between, dead guy."

Spike's eyes widened, "Where? Wait, dead guy?"

Faith nodded as she took another puff. "That's what I hear. You hear a lot when you're unconscious."

"How can I be dead?" 

"Don't you remember? You saved the day, you used that amulet Buffy gave you and it killed all the uber-vamps. You too," Faith said. 

Spike needed to sit down. That actually happened? "I thought it was a dream," Spike's hand started to shake.

"Well, it wasn't."

Spike rocked back and forth on his heels. Flashes came to him. A white room, Angel's face, a bright light, complete peace, laughing, Buffy's hand, Buffy's eyes, Buffy's voice.

"Hey, you should get that checked," Faith was lighting up another cigarette. 

Spike looked down at his chest. "Oh God!" His shirt was being burned away from the inside out. Spike saw the flames and touched them, expecting to be scalded, but they were cool. 

"Why aren't I burning up?"

"Because you're dead, Spike." She said matter-of-factly. "Your ashes are scattered somewhere across the Sunnydale crater."

"You all made it out of there?"

Faith smiled. "Yep, all thanks to you."

Spike rubbed his temples, "Okay, so then why am I not in heaven?"

"Because, you're in between. Something's holding you back. Three guesses what."

"I only need one," he grumbled sarcastically. She was always tormenting him, she never let him rest in peace. "Then how can I get back?"

Faith stepped in front of him. "Do you want to go back?"

"Yes, no, I don't know." He wasn't sure what'd happen if he did go back. All he knew is he had to see her again. "I need to see her, if only for a moment, just to see her would be enough."

Faith grinned. "Let's see," she blew smoke into his face.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

  


Spike found himself in a new room. His clothes had changed, but the burn on his chest was still there. Faith had also changed. She had on a pretty, figure fitting, flower print dress. She threw him a Look.

"Not a word," she warned Spike. "It's her mind." Spike looked over and saw a little, blond girl with green eyes sitting there, picking petals off a flower. 

"I love him, I love him not, I love him, I love him not," she said with each pluck. She looked up at Faith and handed her a flower. Faith took it. The room turned into a meadow. She sat beside Buffy who smiled at her. Together they picked the petals off their flowers.   
"When's he coming back?" The little girl sweet voice.

Faith petted the girl's soft hair. "I don't think he is."

The little girl threw her flower down, stood up and stomped on it. "I want him back, Faith!" She cried.

Faith tried to pull the girl back down to the grassy ground. "Come on, sit with me."

"No!" The girl shrieked. She jumped up and down. "I want him back! I want him back! I want him back! I want him back! I want him back!" The little girl screeched. 

"He can't come back! He's dead!" Faith shouted. The little girl stopped her tantrum and stood there bottom lip quivering. Then she opened her mouth and screamed bloody murder. Spike covered his ears and shut his eyes.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  


"Hey! Hey!" Faith shook him. "What are you doing?"

Spike opened his eyes. "The little girl, she was screaming. Where are we?" 

"Still here. God, we must all be out hard," Faith replied. She changed again. Back into clothes Spike recognized on her.

"Listen, I don't know what's goin' on. I just want to get back," Spike said leaving Faith.

"Get back to what?" Faith called out after him.

Spike stopped. If he really was dead, well, dead dead, Buffy may have already moved on. Angel would be waiting in the wings for sure. But he had to see her, to smell, her, touch her, hear her, taste her, even for the last time. Spike turned around. "I just have to get back," He called running. 

all of a sudden, Spike found himself in Buffy's house. He looked around. Everything looked normal, but it wasn't real, he knew Sunnydale was gone. "Faith!" He barked. He ran through the house. No one was there. He picked up a picture frame from the floor. It was the one of Willow, Xander and Buffy. He ran his thumb over Buffy's face. He had to get back to her, he had to tell her... 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  


Buffy and Faith held the clean, white sheet over Buffy's bed.They tucked in the sides and smiled at each other. "There," Faith said. "It's perfect."

"Why are we always making the bed?" Buffy asked. 

"Got me," Faith said. "But the sheets smell good." Buffy nodded, she watched as light flickered across the bed, the sun set and it was night, then it was morning. "C'mon, Buffy!" Faith tugged at her sleeve. "We have to go."

"Okay," Buffy said and they held hand as they walked down the stairs and into the park. "It's nice outside." Buffy commented. 

"Yeah, the sun feels good," Spike said. He was holding her other hand. 

She looked him over. "You're burning," she said simply. He held up their hands. 

"So I am," he said. They watched as his hand burst into flame, but she held on. "You'd better go love," he said tilting his head to the side. "Or you'll die."

"But... I love you," she said.

"No, you don't. You can't," He said and he disintegrated into ashes.

"NO!" Buffy screamed. The hand she had been holding, didn't turn to dust. She held it close to her as she bent down to scoop up his ashes. 

"What are you doing?" 

Buffy looked up to see Cordelia standing there, hands on her hips and a bored look on her face. She looked down at her hands, now she was holding a dust pan and a broom. The pan had a pile of dirt in it. "I'm cleaning."

Cordelia sighed. "C'mon Buffy." She lead her to a white room. 

The walls changed, and what looked like a movie started playing on them. Buffy recognized it as parts of her life. Jumping from Glory's tower, saving Willow, meeting Xander, running from the Mayor, ripping Adam's power source out, staking vamps over and over again, training with Giles, dancing as smoke rose from her feet, dressed in a frilly dress and hiding behind Soldier-Xander, meeting Dracula, walking with Willow, walking with Xander, walking with Dawn, fighting Faith, dancing with Faith, kissing Riley, kissing Angel, kissing Spike, laughing with her friends. She could remember all of this. "Cordelia, what are we doing here?"

Cordelia raised her eyebrows, "You tell me, I'm in your mind." She pointed to a door and walked away from Buffy. Buffy watched her lie down on a soft bed. She looked back at the door and started towards it. She walked past Faith, who was sitting on a giant egg, spinning crochet needles in her hands. She waved at Buffy. She reached the door. A sign read 'Knock Twice, then Enter', so she did. She walked into a dark room, she flipped on a light switch and saw Spike kneeling in front of a gravestone.

"Spike?" She was afraid he'd disintegrate again. 

"Hello pet," he stood up. "Fancy meeting you 'ere. Can't say I'm surprised, I know you'd be visitin', soon enough."

She looked at the headstone. "William 'Spike', 1868-2003," she read. Her eyes filled with tears. "So, you're really gone, aren't you?"

Spike shrugged. "I dunno. I think I am. Wish I wasn't."

"Why not?"

"Well, because you love me," he smirked. "You said it, you were lying, but you said it."

"I wasn't lying Spike," she sniffled.

He rolled his eyes. "Right then."

"I wasn't!" She pushed him. "Damnit Spike! Why you do it?" She collapsed next to his grave, sobbing.

He bent down and put his hands on her shaking shoulders. "Because I had to. I did it for you, for Dawn, for your li'l Scooby gang. I did it to save the world. And I did it for me, Buffy. To prove to myself that I could be the man I knew you needed."

She looked up at him. "I need you now, Spike."

"Shh, I know," he held her against him until her sobs turned to whimpers. She pressed her face against his soft leather coat. That comforting smell. He looked into her eyes and smiled. He caressed her drying, tear-stained cheek. "Buffy..." She closed her eyes as he ran his fingers through her hair. "Buffy, wake up," he said in Angel's voice. She looked up at him, startled. "Is she all right?" he asked in Dawn's voice. "Get a doctor!" he yelled in Xander's voice. 

"Buffy!" she opened her eyes and saw her friends standing over her. Willow and Angel were at her side. "Angel, help her up," Willow said. Angel got her to her feet.

"Are you okay?" Angel asked. 

"Yeah," Buffy said rubbed the back of her head. A bump was already forming but it'd be gone by the night. 

"Are you sure, Buffy? Maybe you should sit down," Willow said. 

"No, I'm fine," she snapped. ^Sorry,^ she mouthed to Willow when she saw her hurt expression. She turned to Angel, "Where is he?" She demanded.

"Buffy, listen..." 

She looked at him eyes ablaze. "Do not. Talk to me right now. Where is he?"

"Buffy, we're all in a state of shock..." Giles started. 

"You knew about this," she said to him.

"Well, uh," Giles said flustered.

"Right," Buffy threw the door to Spike's room open. There he was, a tube coming out of his mouth, a wires hooked up to him, machines surrounded him. She wanted to go to him, but she couldn't move, her feet frozen to the floor. She just looked at him. 

Spike observed his love standing watching him on the bed. He circled her, she wasn't crying, she was just staring disbelieving what she saw. He sat next to himself, concentrating. "C'mon you dote," he urged. "Wake up. She's right there, waiting for you to bloody wake up."

She moved, finally, took one step and let out a shudder. She swallowed. He coughed and moved. He groped at his mouth, the tube. She rushed over and pulled it out. He coughed uncontrollably. "Buffy..." he mumbled. 

She breathed, "I'm here, Spike, oh my God." 

"Buffy... I wanted to (cough) ask you..."

"Spike, I'm so..."

"Bloody hell, woman, (cough cough) let me speak..." he said. She quieted and he chuckled weakly. "do you... still... (cough cough cough)" he took a deep breath. "Do you.. still love me?"

She nodded profusely. "Yes, yes I do."

He smiled, "That's all I wanted to know." His eyelids fluttered and an alarm went off from one of the machines, then another and another. She watched in horror as doctors flooded the room pushing her aside. 

"Spike," she whispered hoarsely.

Spike looked down at his chest, the burn wasn't there any more. He looked at her, she just stood there, letting the doctors and nurses push her around. A door opened behind him, a bright glow radiated from it. He started towards it. Before entering he cast one long glance at her and took a deep breath. He got his answer, but he couldn't leave. Not yet. He took one step forward. He had to leave. He had to let her go, and so did she. They had to move on.

  


(What do you think? Should I have made it different? I wasn't too sure of this chapter, it was a hard chapter to write. Let me know, seriously, I'm a little exposed right now, so review it please. Por Favor! Oh yeah, and more will happen with the Scoobies and the AI team, I just wanted to get all the crap with Buffy and Angel and Spike out, It'll come back later, have no fear. And can anyone tell me what's going to happen to Cordelia? I hear Charisma Carpenter's not coming back next season as a full cast member.) 


	11. Side Dishes

Chapter Eleven: Side Dishes 

  


(Thanks for all the feedback. I knew that last chapter was going to upset some people. But don't worry. I won't leave it that way. Keep reviewing I really appreciate it.)

  


Fred paced back and forth. She had just analyzed the blood Wesley had given her. The blood was human all right. The strange thing was that the cells had all deteriorated in a matter of minutes. She had heard the alarms go off earlier and knew it had something to do with Angel and who he was keeping in the infirmary. Fred, herself had heard stories of Sunnydale and about Buffy from Cordelia, but it was all very vague. Her stories mainly started out "Oh! And there was this one icky looking demon." or "This vamp with absolutely no fashion sense grabbed me," or "Buffy was always getting us into trouble". Wesley wasn't as talkative about it. Apparently, they hadn't liked him over there. He was, stuffy. 

But now, Buffy and her friends were here. The first week went smoothly. She heard that Angel and Buffy got into an argument, which wasn't uncommon, she guessed. She talked books with Willow, and Xander the guy without an eye, was really funny. She also liked Dawn, she was smart and real good at languages. But she hadn't really gotten a chance to hang out with any of them, she skulked around in the Library and Laboratories. She had grown a lot since escaping Pylea, but she couldn't seem to bring herself to come out of her shell. She missed her friend. She missed Cordelia.

She'd go to see Cordelia. Not to check up on her, just to talk to her. She'd tell her about her day and ask how she was doing even though it was stupid but a force of habit. She told her that they were staying at Wolfram & Hart, and that she missed the Hyperion. She talked about Wesley, and his mysterious demeanor, and how Charles was different, and Lorne's new projects. She'd also tell her how Angel was, because she knew Cordelia would want to hear about him. She thought maybe hearing about Angel would rouse her, but it never did. Fred was so mad at Angel for not visiting Cordelia. She'd ask him about it, but he was like a brick wall, all cold and emotionless. Well, more than normal.

Wesley came at least once a week, just to look at her, trying to figure out how to wake her. Charles had also come by a couple of times. She had run into him once, and it was slightly uncomfortable. Lorne came too, sometimes with Fred, but he stopped after the fifth or sixth time. He said he couldn't bear "not seeing his Cordelia-puss's high wattage smile and not hearing that annoyingly wonderful voice", plus that "all the emotions that were whirling around in there was giving his noggin major neuralgia". Charles' visits also ceased and Wesley's became less frequent. But Fred kept going. Once, she caught Angel brooding outside Cordy's room, he didn't go in, he just paced back and forth, wearing out the tile. 

She debated going down to the infirmary, to tell Angel and Wesley what she found. She grabbed the sample and went out the door. She kind of hoped Charles wasn't down there. Ever since that night with her old professor, their relationship just kind of petered out. They weren't together anymore, but it didn't mean she didn't care about him very much. She rounded the corner to the elevator when she collided with a small blond boy.

"Oh!" She said landing hard on her elbow.

"I'm so sorry," he exclaimed with a slight lisp. He boy fumbled to help her up. 

"It's okay," she said dusting herself off and checked her pockets to make sure the blood was still there.

"Oh, good," he was a nervous little thing and he walked away quickly. Fred looked after him, puzzled, trying to place him. He must've been Xander's friend. She saw him with Dawn earlier too, when the slayer's sister came by to say hello. She brushed it off and continued to the infirmary.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Andrew scurried away from the girl he just ran into. He couldn't believe what had just happened downstairs. He had to tell Lilah what he saw, or rather who he just saw. It was only a glimpse but there was no mistake. He pressed the elevator button and impatiently shifted from right foot to left foot. What did it mean now? Spike was back and Buffy would be happy, right? A scenario played in his mind of a toga clad Buffy waiting on a balcony when a gladiator dressed Spike burst into the room, sweaty and blood on his clothes, Buffy ran to him and ripped off his pallet and he swept her up in a passionate kiss while white doves ascended from the ground. He had a dreamy look on his face and snapped himself out of it. He tapped the button repeatedly, anxious. The bell dinged and the door opened. He stepped inside and hit the button for the ninth floor.

"Why so nervous, Mighty Mouse?"

Andrew spun around to see Lilah leaning against the wall of the elevator. "Lilah! I- I was just c- coming to see you," he smiled weakly. 

"I know, thought I 'd beat you to the punch," she smirked.

"So," Andrew said trying to regain what little cool he had. "Do you have what I want?"

"Do you?"

Andrew nodded, "Yeah, and you're not going to..." He stopped. He wasn't going to tell her till he saw what he wanted. "Show me first. Then we'll talk turkey," he said.

Lilah threw up her hands, "No argument here, kid. Let's go to my office." A few minutes later Andrew was sitting in a leather upholstered comfy chair across from the She-devil who sat behind a grand mahogany desk. "Now," she smiled at Andrew, " You wanted to negotiate. Negotiate." 

He cleared his throat. "Did you do what I asked?" 

She shook her head and crossed her legs like Sharon Stone in Basic Instinct. "Tsk Tsk, I'll show you mine, if you show me yours."

Andrew took a deep breath. "Fine," he knew he wasn't going to win this one. "Angel's been hiding Spike in that room."

Lilah's eyes widened, "Really," she grinned. "William the Bloody himself?"

"And he has a soul," he continued.

"Another souled vampire? Oh my," her dark green eyes glittered with fascination. "Another champion."

Andrew nodded, "But here's what I don't get. He died."

"He what?"

"He died back in Sunnydale. Buffy gave him the amulet and he used it to break a hole in that cavern to kill all those Uber-vamps. The sunlight killed him too."

Lilah started to breathe hard. She was beside herself. Andrew crinkled his brow. Why'd she look so excited? "This calls for a toast," she pressed the intercom on her desk. "Janet? Bring some Cristal and two glasses, please."

"Right away, Miss," the intercom buzzed. Not two minutes went by before a tall, shapely raven haired woman walked in. She poured the caramel colored liquid into the glasses. She handed one to Andrew and smiled at him. Then she left.

Lilah lifted her bubbly flute of sparkling champagne and raised it. Andrew did the same. They clinked.

"To the start of a fruitful partnership," she said. Andrew put the glass to his lips and faked a smile. He hoped this was all worth it.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

  


Faith pulled her hair back into a ponytail. She changed out of those awful hospital duds. Whoever designed those needed to be taken out in front of the firing squad. She ran her hands down her head, rubbed the back of her neck, over her chest, and to down to her hips. She smiled at the mirror. She liked her body. It was athletic, lean, but womanly enough to make the boys stop and stare. She loved doing that. Walking down a street with a pair of tight leather pants, a slight midriff-baring tank top and a jacket she wore off kilter, on her forearms and exposing her toned shoulders. She flexed her legs, they were awesome, strong and shapely. She turned, her ass was nice too, just enough lift. She ran her hands over her stomach. She had a nicely defined pack of abs. She touched the area below her bellybutton. It was right there, growing. She couldn't believe something would grow in there. Inside her. She shivered, it was too strange. But still, it seemed fitting. Her eyes watered. 

"Knock knock," Xander said coming into the room. "How's my tough little slayer?"

"Get out of here, Harris," she said turning before he saw her weepy face. But it didn't help, he saw her reflection in the mirror. 

"Hey, what's wrong?" He said in his caring tone.

"Nothin', go," she replied wiping her face with the back of her hand.

"I'm not going to go until you tell me what's wrong. So spill," he said firmly standing in the middle of the doorway. 

She rolled her eyes. It was no used making him leave now. Well, she could still make him leave, but she didn't want to waste the energy. "Fine, but shut the door."

He closed the door behind him and watched her sit on the hospital bed. "So, you wanna tell me what's up? Or you gonna make me play 20 questions?" She gave him a Look. "Right then," he clapped him hands together. "Are you happy?" She gave him the finger. "Okay, check not happy, Nineteen left."

"Stop it," she said. 

"Are you going to tell me why you were crying?" He asked. She didn't say anything. He nodded, "eighteen, now." 

"Xander, can't you ever be serious?" She asked.

"Well, yeah," he said sitting next to her. "But then it's not as easy to talk. Serious Xander's kind of a pain, always worrying, upsetting people with his stupid remarks."

"As opposed to regular Xander?" She joked.

"See, a joke. You're feeling better already," he pointed out.

She shook her head, and placed it in her lap. Her shoulder started to shake and tiny whimpering noises were coming from her. "God damnit!" She shouted. "Damnit!" 

"What is it? Faith, you can tell me," he said as she looked up into his brown, sympathetic eye. 

"I'm dying, Xander," she said. 

  


(Did I just kill off Faith? Maybe. Read on to find out.)

  



	12. Putting Out Fires

Chapter Twelve: Putting Out Fires 

  


Dying. The words ripped into him. How could she be dying? Xander cleared his throat. "Are you... When did... Are you serious?" 

Faith pushed him away. "No, you dumbass. I'm pregnant."

"Oh," Xander said, relieved. "That's not so bad. Congratulations." 

Faith growled. "Yes it is! I'm not supposed to be pregnant. I'm a slayer! I can't be a mother!" She said sliding to the floor and breaking down again.

"Hey, now," Xander sat with her and put his arm around her shoulders. "It could be worse."

"No, it can't," she cried all muffled.

"Yes, it could. It could be mine," He joked. And she started laughing. "See? I made you laugh." She looked up at him all weepy-eyed. He wasn't used to seeing her like this. All vulnerable and stuff. "Is it Robin's?" He asked.

Faith shrugged. "I dunno. Probably. I just... I don't know what to do, you know? I was the Dark Slayer, I should be dead or locked up."

"Yeah, you probably should," Xander said, dodging a death glare. "But that's life. C'est la vie, as they French say. It'll be okay. Talk to Robin, maybe to Buffy and we'll see how things go. Okay?"

"Okay," Faith said reluctantly. She leaned her head against Xander and they sat on the floor together.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Dawn leaned against the smooth wall. She was trying to soak in what had just happened. What she had just seen. Spike, he was back. Her sister, the melodramatic that she was, had fainted. Just slid right on the floor, like lime-green Jello. To be honest, she wasn't all that surprised to see Spike. Something, something inside her told her he was alive. She wasn't sure what it was, but she knew he wasn't gone. He had promised her he wouldn't leave her. Late that night he had returned from where ever Giles had sent him and Andrew, he knocked at her door. She was surprised to see him there, he wasn't the knocking type. 

"What's up, Spike?" She had asked.

"Not much, li'l bit," he said using his pet name for her. "Can we have a chat?"

"Sure," she sat down on her bed and motioned for him to sit but he didn't. "What'd you wanna talk about?"

He pursed his lips the way he did when he wasn't sure of what to say. "I heard what happened with your sister."

"You want to yell at me then," Dawn said guiltily looking down at her feet.

He shook his head. "Naw, I wouldn't do that. You had your reasons." He looked around her room, and snorted at the poster of some boy band on the wall. "Listen, bit," he kneeled in front of her. He took her hand in his. "We're to peas in a pod, is what we are. We've always been." He smiled at her.

"Spike, you're weirding me out here," she knew he was trying to be all big brotherly.

He blew out, exasperated. "I know. I just wanted to tell you that I'll always protect you, no matter what. And it's not because I promised your sister, but because I promised you. I'd never let anything happen to you, Dawn."

She blinked away her tears and smiled wide. "I know."

"Good," he nodded and sighed, relieved. "And whatever happens, I'm always goin' be with you. If anything happens, if I..."

"Spike," she interrupted. "I get it. Thank you." 

"Oh, right then. Get to bed with you," he closed the door and turned off her light as she snuggled underneath her covers. He stood at the door, watching her drift to sleep. 

"I love you too, Spike," she whispered and she heard him leave.

  


That's why she wasn't that upset. She was still upset, but knew he was there, he'd come back. Now, only if her sister'd get over the shock. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

  


"Angel!" Fred ran up to him. "You look pissed. What happened?"

"Spike, woke up. Did you analyze that blood Wes gave you?" He asked.

She nodded. "Yeah, Angel, I think... it's bad." 

Angel pursed his lips. He looked over Fred and saw Wesley walking up to them. "You analyzed the sample, Fred?" he asked.

"I did. It was weird. The blood is normal. It's human. But there was rapid cell decay, and... I think Spike's going to die, soon." She finished her sentence hesitantly. She looked back between Angel and Wesley. They all knew what they had to do. 

"Thank you, Fred," Wesley said. "Angel, if there's any other way..."

"There isn't," he said cutting of Wes. "I'll tell Buffy."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  


Xander walked back to where the gang was. He was tired. Two giant bombs had been dropped on him today. First, Spike then Faith, he just wanted a nice, tall, alcoholic beverage. Ugh, he sneered at himself. He didn't want to drown in alcohol like his parents did. The last thing he wanted to do was end up like his dad. He saw Dawn and went over to her. "Hey Dawn, what's up?"

"The sky," she replied. 

"Good thing, don't want to go all Chicken Little today. Enough has happened," he said. She smiled at his joke, but refrained from laughing. "You okay?" he asked.

"Better than her," she said looking over at Buffy, who was sitting on a chair, staring at the floor. Xander patted Dawn on the arm and went over to Buffy.

"Hey there, funny girl," He said. "You look like someone you thought was dead came back to life."

"Jokes aren't going to work this time," she said empty-voiced. 

"Who said I was joking?" He settled next to her. "Tell the teddy bear why you're sad. C'mon," he nudged her. "I've been putting out fires all day." 

She looked at him. "I'm sorry about Anya.' 

He was taken aback by her sympathetic apology. "Thanks. Why?" He asked. 

"I never got to tell you that I was sorry. I haven't really talked to anybody about what happened. And you had the worst lost. You lost Anya, and I'm sorry," she said.

Xander leaned forward in his chair. "It's okay. I'm okay. I miss her so much it hurts, but I'll be okay. No one really liked her, she was rude, and tactless, great in bed though."

"And kind of money-hungry," Buffy added. 

"Yeah, but I loved her, and she loved me," he said wistfully.

"We liked her Xander, after a while," she said.

He shrugged. "And I'm sorry about Spike."

"You don't have to say that," she told him.

"No, I do. I mean it. I knew he meant a lot to you, I didn't realize how much," he said.

"I love him, Xander. I told him that in the cave, but he didn't believe me." She said eyes welling with tears. "He didn't believe me." 

"Shh," Xander wrapped his arms around his best friend. He squeezed him back, and they held each other thinking about their lost lovers. Buffy didn't say anything when she felt two wet spots on the back of her shirt. She just squeezed Xander tighter.

"Uh, guys?" Willow's voice made them look up to see the other musketeer standing there. Xander pulled her into their embrace and the three of them hugged. 

^What are we hugging about?^ Willow asked.

^Everything and nothing,^ Buffy replied.

^Why am I always in a threesome with you two and it's not the good kind?^ Xander asked.

^Shut up, Xander,^ the girls said. They all just sat there, hugging and crying. Buffy knew from then on, things would be different.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Spike walked into the doorway. Light surrounded him and he felt the most amazing peace. "Hello?" He called out, his voice echoing back to him. 

"William..." a honey voice whispered. 

"Yeah, where am I?" He asked.

The voice laughed a tinkling little laugh. "Oh, William. Still suspicious, as always."

He rolled his eyes. "Whatever, you gonna answer my question?"

"Of course."

"Well then, where bloody hell am I?"

"You're home, William."


	13. The Consequences

Chapter Thirteen: The Consequences

  


Andrew waited anxiously for Xander to get out of the bathroom. He didn't have to use it or anything, he was just really excited. Lilah was supposed to bring Anya back today, and he was thrilled. Xander was going to be so happy and grateful to Andrew that they'd be best friends forever. Xander opened the bathroom door and jumped back when he saw Andrew.

"Jeez! Didn't your mother ever tell you not to scare people that have no peripheral vision?" He asked dropping his newspaper. 

"My mother used to stick me in the pantry when I was bad," Andrew replied. 

Xander raised his eyebrows. "Okay." He shook his head. "What are you doing waiting out here? If you needed to go, you could've knocked."

"No, I was just waiting," Andrew said simply.

"Well, wait over there," Xander pointed to a chair on the other side of the room. Andrew complied and sat down. He watched happily smiling as Xander fixed his hair. He caught sight of him in the mirror. "What's with you, man?" Xander exclaimed. "You're freaking me out." 

Andrew's chest swelled with excitement. "Nothing," he said, still smiling. 

Xander turned back around and continued to get ready. He was going to go help Dawn and Willow research with Giles. Giles had been mumbling about some prophecy the entire time in the infirmary after they found out about Spike. To be honest with himself, Xander wasn't sure what to feel about Spike being back. He was happy for Buffy, but he still couldn't bring himself to fully trust the vampire. Yeah, yeah, he'd saved him from getting his other eye gouged out, and sacrificed himself to stop the apocalypse, but he couldn't trust him. Maybe he was still pissed about Spike and Anya sleeping together, or Buffy and Spike sleeping together, or Spike raping Buffy, either way, he had just cause to be mad at Spike, but also enough to forgive him. 

The telephone rang, "I got it!" Andrew yelped and scrambled over to it. "Hello? Yes, okay, okay, thanks."

"Who was it?" Xander asked.

Andrew grabbed Xander, and flew out the door. "We have to go," he squealed. 

"Go where? And let go of my hand!" Xander said shaking Andrew's grip. 

"I have a surprise for you," Andrew said giddily. Xander, against his better judgment, followed him. Andrew was practically skipping down the hall. In the elevator, he kept humming the theme to Three's Company, and Xander was becoming apprehensive. When Andrew had an idea, it was usually bad, dumb, or just plain weird.

"After you," Andrew bowed letting Xander go into an office first. Xander saw a hot and sexy woman leaning against the table. 

"You didn't hire me a stripper, did you Andrew?" Xander asked not taking his eye off her.

The woman laughed. "Keep your pants on, matey," she winked. "You're friend Andrew here, and I have a little present for you."

"Okay," Xander said putting his hands up. "One, he is not my friend. Two, what surprise? And Three, he is not my friend."

Lilah shrugged. "Whatever you say, Cyclops. But, he's really a stand up guy. He came to me and selflessly asked if I could bring back your dead girlfriend. And I did."

"WHAT!" Xander shouted. He turned to Andrew, whose happy face had now vanished. "You did what?"

"I- I wanted you t- to be happy," Andrew explained. 

Xander was furious, his blood rose and his face was red. "I told you not to do anything. That we couldn't bring back Anya, it was too dangerous."

"Dangerous for you and your friends," Lilah spoke up. "But here we have the most sophisticated and most powerful instruments here. I assure you, this isn't your standard, snake out of mouth, ritual rising."

"Could ya give me a minute, here?" Xander asked. He turned back to Andrew. He was cowering down in fear. Xander saw him and took pity. He forced down his anger. He had to. He couldn't lash out at Andrew, though he very, very much wanted to. "Andrew, I don't want Anya back." He said finally and in a softer tone. 

"You don't?" Andrew asked.

Xander sighed and backed away from Andrew so the kid could straighten up. "No. I mean, yeah. I do. I want her back so much that it hurts, but she can't come back."

Andrew's bottom lip trembled, "But why? I want her back too, she was my friend."

Xander placed his hand on Andrew's shoulder. "I know. But we can't do that to her, she's in heaven. She's at peace. And I can't be selfish, neither can you. Do you understand?" Andrew nodded, sobbing as he did. Xander looked at Lilah. "Sorry, but I don't think you have a deal."

"Hey, it's his loss. I got my information already," Lilah shrugged. Andrew wiped his face. Suddenly, someone knocked at the door. "But, unfortunately, a deal's a deal," she went to open the door. 

"No!" Andrew blocked her. "Lilah, he doesn't want her back." He looked at Xander for back up. "Right?"

Xander stood there. "Wait," he said a strange look on his face. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

  


Buffy sat upright on the edge of her chair. Faith had just finished telling her, the uh, news.

"B, say something dude, you're freakin' me out, here," Faith said.

Buffy swallowed, "I just... can't believe it."

"I know," Faith snickered. "Me either. "It's like, karma or something. I can't decide if it's good or bad, though."

"We should ask Willow," Buffy said. "Are you gonna tell Robin? I mean, it is his right?"

"No, actually it's Angel's," Faith said nonchalantly.

"What?" Buffy said.

Faith grinned, "Lighten up B. You know vamps can't have kids."

"I know," Buffy reddened. "I just... I knew you were kidding." 

"Yeah, right." Faith laughed and Buffy had to laugh with her. "What do you think's gonna happen now?" She said, her face becoming serious.

"I don't know." Buffy said truthfully.

"I like slaying Buffy, it's the only thing I know how to do." Faith said. Buffy watched her. She looked like a scared little girl. Her legs were pulled up to her chin and she wrapped her arms around them. "What am I going to do? I can barely take care of myself. I'm reckless and irresponsible," Faith started crying. Buffy settled herself next to Faith. 

"No, you're not," Buffy patted her arm. "Not anymore. You've grown so much. If anyone could handle this, you could."

"But, I'll be doing it alone. Not like I need a guy to do it. I just don't want to drag Robin down with this. He has his own life."

"Don't worry, you have us now," Buffy assured her. "We'll take care of you." 

Faith dried her tears on her arm. "Thanks, B."

"I meant it." The two slayers smiled at each other. Buffy looked down at her her shirt. She had meant it. Faith had grown up. Gone was the self-centered, egotistical, killer. Faith could definitely still hold her own, but she had toned down, a lot. And lately, they had been acting like friends again. 

Faith broke the silence by snapping the stick of gum she had popped in her mouth. "I heard about Spike," She said. "Crazy, huh?"

"You have no idea," Buffy sighed. "It's like I wasn't totally over him being gone, but I knew he was."

"Yeah, I mean he like, burned up," Faith commented. "Was it hard to watch?" Buffy just looked at Faith. "Okay," Faith situated herself so she was facing Buffy. "You saw Spike in his final moments. What was it like?"

Buffy stared at the dark-haired girl. Strangely, she understood why she was asking. "Hard," she confessed. "I finally realized what I felt for him and it was too late."

"So why is it different this time?"

"What?"

"Okay, like, you killed Angel, right? And that was tough. But then, he came back. So it was all 'whoo-hoo my boyfriend's back'."

"Where are you going with this, Faith?" 

"Chill, B, I'm getting to it." Faith said. "So, when Spike basically committed suicide, you said it was hard. So now when he's back, why is there no 'whoo-hoo-ing'?"

"There's... 'whoo'." Buffy sighed. "It's just..."

Now, everything's changed, again?" Faith supplied.

"Some. Mainly, it's, why?" Buffy said. "Why is he back? Why is he human?" 

"Yeah," she snapped her gum. "I wonder why Angel didn't tell you that he was hiding him."

Buffy stared off. She didn't even think about that. "He had his reasons."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  


"Wait? What do you mean 'wait'? Xander, you said we can't bring her back," Andrew said.

"I know. But now that I'm thinking about it. It doesn't sound so bad. I mean, I've never been a selfish kind of guy. So, I'm thinking I can be allowed to be selfish just once," Xander said. 

"But, what you said before, about it not being fair to her. What if she did come back wrong?" Andrew asked.

"So? At least it'll be Anya, at least I'll have someone, I won't be alone," Xander pointed out. He was close to tears. "She'll be here again, with me and we'll be happy." He sniffled. "Damnit! Why can't I just move on? I don't want to forget about her, but I don't want her back, not like this."

"You will. You have all your friends to help you. You were right, the consequences are too great," Andrew comforted Xander. Xander nodded, miserably. "Good. Lilah, take her back."

"Like a said before, it's your loss, Mighty Mouse," Lilah said.

"That's fine." Andrew said. He and Xander left. They walked alone in silence. 

"We don't say anything about this, right?" Xander asked.

"Right. It'll be our secret," Andrew said.

"Whatever. And Andrew?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry about what I said before. You are my friend."

Andrew's eyes watered. "Oh, Xander!" He went to hug him.

"Ah," Xander put up his hand. "No, no, no. No, no, no. We are non hug-y friends."

"Oh." 

"Stop skipping." 

"Okay." 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  


"Home?" Spike asked. 

"That's right, William." The voice said. "Why don't you change?" Spike saw people walking past him. All in white robes. 

"Oh, I bloody don't think so. If you think I'm wearing some poofy robe, you're off your rocker," he objected.

It laughed again. "Oh William. You needn't to worry anymore. You're one of us now."

"One of who? I'd better start getting some straight answers or I'm going to start bashing heads in," Spike threatened.

"You'll have to stop the aggression, William. You're a pacifist now," the voice told him.

"Bugger all this!" He said. "I'm leaving."

"You can't leave, William. You chose to come," the voice said.

"Well, I'm starting to regret it, and I want to go now, so, leave me alone!" He stomped off. There wasn't anywhere to go. "How do you get out of 'ere?" He asked.

"You don't. William, you're an angel and angel's don't leave."

"I'm a what?"

"An angel," the voice repeated.

"I don't want to be a buggering angel, I want to go back," Spike said.

"You made a choice, William." The voice said and the fog cleared to reveal his body still lying on that gurney. Buffy was sitting next to it, talking quietly to him. Spike's entire demeanor changed when he saw her. She looked worn, but more beautiful than ever. 

"I know I made a choice," he said. "But was it the right one? I just want to be with her."

"Time will tell, William. She'll come soon enough," The voice added.

"What do you mean?" Spike asked, tearing his eyes away from his love.

"Time will tell and you will see."

"You know, I'm getting real bloody tired of all this cryptic horse shit," Spike said. 

"William, accept that you're no longer apart of that world. Your actions had consequences and you will have to watch. You can not interfere with what is to come."

  



	14. In the Dark

Chapter Fourteen: In the Dark

  


"Argh!" Spike looked around for something to throw, but there weren't any objects. 

"William, don't get upset," The voice said.

"Don't get upset? I'm way past upset you bloody... voice!" His lip quivered. "I'm going back, so sod off and leave me alone!" He roared.

"You can't Spike. It'll throw everything into turmoil. Your existence will only bring the worst evil ever."

"What are you talking about? Worst evil? We defeated the First. I sacrificed myself."

"This is new William. An evil brought on by your gift. They will fight this evil. And she will die."

"Die?" Spike glanced back at Buffy. She was still sitting there, next to him. His heart ached. He sat next to her, "Buffy."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

  


"Buffy." The blond slayer turned around. She heard the whisper. But there was no one in the room except her, and Spike. She wasn't sure why she was there, she had actually been looking for Angel. But she found herself here, and after... persuading the guards, she was sitting and talking to Spike. He was tan, not as pale as usual, he looked human. His hair needed to be re-dyed, his brown roots were showing. He had deep, purple bruises covering his entire body and the doctors had covered up a huge scorch on his chest with the white gauze they use. She wanted to touch him, but she was afraid. Afraid that if she did, she wouldn't touch anything, that he was a figment of her imagination and she was dreaming all of this. 

She wasn't dreaming though. She knew she wasn't. Dreams never seemed this real, except for that one with Angel. Angel. He was behind her. 

"Hey."

"Hey."

She smiled at him. "What are you doing here?" 

"I was looking for you." He nodded at the unconscious one. "How is he?"

"Same. Dying." She left the room. Angel followed her out. She took one last glance at Spike. "Angel, I don't know what to do. This is too much." She laughed. "Why do people keep coming back from the dead?"

Angel chuckled. "Got me." 

"Did Faith talk to you?" She asked, hoping for a subject change.

Angel nodded. "Yeah. Buffy, there's something I have to tell you. It's mine." 

"That's not funny," she said.

"I know." They walked along. Angel looked at her. She was in pain, he could tell. He should've just told her when they all arrived. "I should've told you." He said.

"It's okay." She shrugged. "You had your reasons. Besides, this way it hurts a whole lot less." She said slightly sarcastically.

"You don't have to be sarcastic, about it." He mumbled.

"Don't I?" She faced him. "Why didn't you just tell me, Angel?"

"Like you said, I had my reasons." 

"Planning on telling me those reasons?"

"Nope."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  


"Andrew, what are we waiting for?" Dawn asked impatiently. "I want to go see my sister."

"Hush, young one!" Andrew said. "You could blow our cover." 

Dawn rolled her eyes and shoved Andrew. "Then at least give me a little more breathing room." The two of them were crammed inside a tiny closet. Andrew had convinced Dawn to come with him on a 'mission'. That tall and rugged looking English guy had cornered Andrew earlier and asked him to find a document concerning someone named Lilah. Dawn didn't know who or what she was, but she was sure she wasn't on their side. 

"I want the numbers on the Shanshu matter immediately. The sooner the better," Lilah walked into her office followed by three young looking assistants who were all scribbling every word on yellow legal pads and were hooked up to ear buds. "And I want you," she pointed to the female, "to set up a meeting with the slayer. I'd like to get to know her a little better."

"Uh, which slayer?" The female asked. 

"**The** slayer," Lilah said. When she got a blank stare from the young woman she yelled. "Buffy! The Summers girl, the blond."

"Oh," they all furiously wrote on their pads. 

Dawn nudged Andrew, "What do you think she wants with my sister?" 

"I don't know," Andrew replied. "But it can't be good." 

"That's all for now," Lilah said. "Get," she waved them away and they all left quickly. The phone rang and she answered it. "Hello?" Andrew and Dawn watched from the crack in the door. "Yes," Lilah continued. She smiled. "Perfect. I'll be right down." And she left, locking the door behind her.

"C'mon," Dawn pushed Andrew out.

"Hey!" Andrew fell on the floor.

"Sorry," Dawn stepped over him. "But I wanna know what she wants with Buffy." She rummaged through Lilah's desk. "Check those files," she said beckoning to the stack of folders on the desk.

"Dum dum dada, Dum dum dada," Andrew hummed the Mission:Impossible theme under his breath. He flipped through the documents, skimming for anything that read, 'Contract' like Wesley had said. Nothing. "Did you find anything?"

Dawn shook her head. "No, just a bunch of stuff that makes no sense. It's like, it's all written in code and in another language. Something about Shanshu, prophecy, evil, I can't make any of it out. Oh! Champion, it doesn't make sense."

Andrew thought quickly, "Take it anyway, maybe Mr. Giles will know what it means." 

"Okay. Did you find what you were looking for?"

"No. Maybe it's in another office..." Dawn suddenly clapped her hand over Andrew's mouth. "Mphhaa!" 

"Shh!" She shushed him and they ducked down under Lilah's desk as someone jiggled the door handle then inserted a key and unlocked it. 

"Mfoo eh zit?" Andrew asked, his voice muffled by Dawn's hand.

"Some guy," she told him. "Wait, I've seen him before. He was down in the infirmary before."

"Wheflee?" Andrew asked.

Dawn shook her head. "He was talking to Wesley." She watched as he walked over to a spot on the wall and pressed a few buttons. A panel opened and he stepped inside. "Let's go!" She said and grabbed Andrew's hand and they ran out the office, not looking back. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

  


Gunn had heard two voices in Lilah's office, but disregarded them. They weren't any threat to him. He walked through a long, narrow hall, his heels clicking on the slick floor as he did. He went through an unnoticable door to his left. 

A figure wearing a white, lab coat stood fiddling with a syringe and a vial of opaque black liquid. "You're late," their voice cracked.

"I like to make an entrance," Gun replied as he sat in a metal chair. He rolled up his sleeve. 

"Entrance or not, you cut it close," they said.

"Whatever, just give it to me," Gunn replied.

The person turned around, revealing a mutated, cat-like face. He was scarred badly and his hands had sharps claws, whiskers grew from his face. "You know what can happen when you don't take your medication on a set schedule."

Gunn was unnerved by this doctor's appearance and nodded exasperated. "I know. And I know if I don't take them at all, I'll look like you. Not a great look for the ladies."

The doctor's pupils narrowed to slits in his yellow eyes. "Yes. And you don't have enough personality to make them overlook it." 

Gunn chuckled. "Just stick me already." The doctor tapped the syringe and inserted it into Gunn's protruding vein. Gunn felt the cold liquid course through his veins and throughout his entire body. The doctor pulled the needle out and stepped back. Gunn morphed into a pristine, but lethal-looking, black panther. He snarled at the doctor, who chuckled to himself.

"Feel better?" The doctor asked.

Gunn the panther growled then morphed back into his human self. "Thanks, Doc." He said and left the room.

"Don't be late, next time," the mutant doctor called out.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  


Fred lead Willow into a dark room. "I really hope you can help." She said. "Not that I don't think you can't do it," she said quickly. "It's just nobody's been able to wake her up."

Willow smiled at the pretty young woman. "It's okay. Comas are tricky and when a person gets lost inside their mind, it's hard to find the way back."

The petite, mousy, brown-haired girl half-smiled and walked over to a drape covered window and pulled the rope to let light in. Willow gasped as she saw Cordelia laying there.

"She's been like this since..." Fred choked up. "Since the birth."

"Birth?" Willow asked.

Fred nodded. "She gave birth to a former Power That Be. It was so bizarre."

"Who was she impregnated by?"

"By... By... I don't know," Fred knitted her brows in confusion. That whole ordeal is kind of foggy anyway." 

Willow sat next to Cordelia. "She's in there. I can sense her."

"Can you get her out?"

"It'll take time, but yeah," Willow placed her hands on the sides of Cordelia's head. "Cordy?" She whispered. "Are you there?" Willow saw flashes. Flashes of Cordelia at Sunnydale, pregnant, talking with Angel, confused, and she saw Cordelia with a dark cloud around her. "She's there," Willow told Fred. "Where in there, I don't know."

Fred looked at her sleeping friend. "Poor, poor Cordy. We have to help her, Willow. 

In an instant, Willow was inside Cordelia's mind. She looked around. It was like some kind of fever dream. Everything around Willow was moving and she wasn't. "Cordelia!" She called out.

"Are you. A good witch. Or a bad witch?" A little girl emerged from the dark. She had long brown hair and big brown eyes. She carried a little straw basket and wore a black cloak.

"Oh, hello," Willow bent down to the little girl's height. "I'm a good witch." She said smiling at the girl.

"You're not. A witch at all," the little girl replied. "Not anymore."

Willow knitted her brows. "Oh. Can you tell me where to find my friend?"

"Cordelia. Not here."

"Where is she?"

The little girl put her finger to her chin and tapped it as though she was thinking. She motioned like she was asleep. "Sleeping. Can't wake. In the dark."

"Can you take me to her?" Willow asked.

The little girl's eyes grew big like she was afraid. "No. Can't take. Guarding."

"She's being guarded? By who?" Willow asked.

"No. Can't show. Can't take. Must be quiet. Or it will come," the little girl looked around nervously.

Willow held out her hand. "I can protect you, if you take me," she smiled trying to be convincing.

The little girl transferred her basket from on arm to the other. "Yes," she agreed. "Take good witch. Can help."

"Good," Willow said as the little girl took her hand and she started leading the redhead into the woods where she had come from. "Where are we going?"

"In the dark," the little girl replied.

  


  


  



	15. Revelations

  


Chapter 15: Revelations 

  


"Then I have to go back. I have to save her," Spike protested. 

"It's not your job, William." The voice said.

"To bloody hell with you! It is my job. I have to save her," Spike was close to tears. He was acting like I child, he knew but he'd do anything for Buffy.

"No, no William. The Champion must save his true love."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  


Buffy sat alone in her room. Alone again. Always alone. Faith was down the hall talking to Robin. She doubted things were going well. She heard some yelling earlier. Angel had left after their talk and it had been on good terms. No grudges held or angry words, just a simple conversation. Buffy could tell there were other things on his mind anyway, so she let him go. She really didn't want to deal with any more emotional or mental angst and kind of hoped for a demonic attack or something. She needed to go slay something, soon. 

"Buffy!" Dawn and Andrew ran into her room, panting and excited.

"What's wrong?" Buffy was on her feet in a flash.

"Oh my God, Buffy it was so cool!" Dawn said all out of breath.

"Yeah, we were deep undercover, certain death was upon us..." Andrew said.

"Shut up." Dawn said to Andrew. "Buffy..."

Buffy gave Dawn a withering look. "Dawn you shouldn't go snooping around here. You know better."

"Andrew was with me," the younger Summers protested. Buffy just raised her eyebrows, as if to emphasize her point. "Yeah, okay," Dawn conceded. "But you have to see what we found."

"Well, go find Giles and talk to him. I'm gonna go out," Buffy said. 

"Fine," Dawn looked hard at her sister. Buffy grabbed her jacket and left the room. "C'mon, Andrew," she said and the two walked sullenly to the library.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  


Faith sat in a chair. She watched Robin pace across the room in front of her. "You know, you could say something. Might help all the tension," she said.

Robin gave a scoffing laugh. He shook his head. "What? What do you want me to say?"

"I dunno." Faith didn't mean to come in and drop this on him like she had. It kind just slipped out. "Hey, we gotta talk," she had said coming into the room. Robin had been sitting at the table reading the newspaper. "Sure. Finally decided to accept that I'm prettier?" He joked with a smile. Faith shook her head, "No. And you are not." She swallowed, contemplating how to go about this. "Funny story."

"Good. I'm in the mood for a for an anecdote," he said setting down his paper.

"Huh?"

"Nothing."

Faith exhaled, "Well..." she wiped her sweating palms on the seat of her jeans. 

Robin got up and walked over to Faith. "Hey," he took her hands in his. "You're trembling. What wrong?" He looked into her brown eyes with such compassion that Faith pulled away.

"Stop," she said.

"Stop what?" Robin was confused. "Faith, what's wrong with you?"

"Nothing."

"No, something's wrong because you're acting strange. Just tell me," he moved into to her again. He ran his fingers through her soft, brown hair. She almost let him get away with it. Almost gave in to his advances. She had a good piece of mind to throw him down on the bed and straddle him. But instead, she shoved him away.

"I said stop," she said growled.

"Damn, Faith." He looked more bewildered than angry. "Now, you have to tell me what's going on."

Faith looked down at her feet. Looking back at him she winced. "I'm pregnant."

He had blown up. He didn't hit her, though she wished he did. She would've been able to handle that. But he wasn't that kind of guy. Robin just kind of yelled at her, and she of course, yelled back. Now, she was just watching him, mutter to himself, pacing back and forth, trying to sort out what to do next. 

"I... I can't believe this," he finally said.

"Well, believe it kid, 'cause this ain't a dream," Faith said.

"It was just one night. And besides... we used a condom," he was trying to rationalize now.

"One night or not, it happened," she retorted. She shook her head. "Y'know, I can handle this fine by myself. I don't need your help. I just though you should know." Faith got up to leave but Robin blocked her.

"Wait," he said. "Wait." He tried to think of something to say that wouldn't piss her off, but he couldn't. "I wanna help you." 

He had tried to say the least negative thing but she still got mad. "I don't need your god damned pity. Okay? I told you I can take care of it by myself." She said shaking him off.

"I'm not pitying you. If anything, I'm pitying myself a little," he confessed.

"You're pitying yourself!" She yelled. "What about me? I'm a slayer for Christ's sake. I'm not supposed to have kids!" Faith was on the verge of tears.

"I know, I know," Robin said. "But I don't want you to do this alone. I know how it is. I don't want that for anyone."

"Neither do I," she whispered. A light went off. "I have to go," she said rushing out the door.

"Faith, wait!" He called, but he still couldn't move that fast. He let her go.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  


Buffy decided to go out. She wasn't sure if she could call it patrolling. It wasn't like this was her turf, and she wasn't really out looking from vampires. But if some happened along her way, hey what else was she to do? Besides, she couldn't sulk in her room all day and night, and the creepy law firm was giving her, well, the creeps. So she ventured out into the night, doing what she did best. What was it going to be like now? No Sunnydale Hellmouth to fight, and now with all the slayers waking up, things were going to be either a lot more quieter or a lot more chaotic.

So, where would she go from here? They could've all headed straight to Cleveland like Giles had said, and set up fort at the Hellmouth there. She knew she had to find new slayers, teach them and guide them, maybe set up a training facility or whatever. Yet she had decided to let the new slayerettes visit their families and for the Scoobies to head out to Los Angeles. She settled on L.A because a) Angel was here and she'd like to visit him b) bigger city, more vamps, more demons, more stuff to do and c) something in her gut told her to come her. Must've been Spike.

Spike back from the dead, and human. It was too bizarre for words. Is this where the road was going to take her? If Spike was human now, maybe they could have a somewhat normal life together. They'd get jobs, maybe get married, raise a family... the new roads were endless. She did love him, more than she loved Angel, if that was even possible. That was the thing though. Did she love Spike more than Angel? Angel was her first... everything. She loved Angel so much, that she hated herself for doing so. Letting herself be vulnerable like that. Then came Riley. She did love Riley, but more for being there than anything. She had to admit, she treated Riley worse than Spike. With Spike there was sort of an animal desire, a want, a need, an itch she needed scratched. And he did it. Oh, did he do it. And she figured out the big difference between Angel and Spike. Spike loved her when he was the Big Bad. Angel didn't. When time came, and neither had a soul, who was going to kill her? That was the difference, that was all that was needed to tip the scale. She hadn't lied to Angel when she told him that sometimes she pictured a road leading to him, but she wasn't sure if that was the one she was going to take.

A shrill scream pierced the night air and Buffy took off running towards it. She rounded into a dark alley to see three vamps encircling a young girl and boy. They were twins and gripped each other's hands with fear. The boy was in front of his sister, protecting her from these demons. 

"Hey, ugly!" Buffy called and all three vampires turned. "Boy, I was just talking to the one in the middle but if you all think you're ugly, you're right." 

The one on the right snarled and prepared to attack but the middle one kept him back. "Stop, Riker," he said. 

"Why, Den?" Riker asked. "Now there are three, we can each have a meal."

"That's the slayer," the female vampire on the left said. 

"Correction," Faith's voice came from above. Buffy looked up to see the dark-haired slayer up on a fire escape. "She's **a** slayer."

"Two of them," the female vamp said. "What are we going to do?" 

Den, the ringleader, smiled evilly. "Invite our friends." He whistled and suddenly Buffy found herself surrounded by four more vamps from behind. 

She looked around and scoffed. "Is that all you got?"

"Uh, B?" Faith voice wavered as Buffy looked up to see at least ten more vampires on the ledges of the buildings. 

Buffy sighed, it was gonna be one of those nights. She charged at Den and his companions with a swift kick, Riker was on the ground, but the female grabbed her and threw her down. The four behind her came running up as she scrambled to her feet and drew a stake from her back pocket. She dusted two quickly and punched one in the face while the other grabbed her from behind. Faith jumped down from her perch, three more vamps did so also. Faith plunged her own stake into the one that had a hold of Buffy.

Buffy, now free, led off with a roundhouse and staked another vamp before he hit her. Faith had already dusted three more vamps, but more kept coming. Den, Riker, and the female all watched. The twins had tried to run off but Riker grabbed them and was holding on to each by their hair. One particularly small vamp, had obviously been trained in karate, because he came at Buffy with such fury and agility, that she had a hard time keeping one step ahead of him. He hauled off and punched Buffy with such force that she flew through the air into two vamps, which she shoved and staked.

"That's it Chan!" Riker cheered. 

The karate chopping vamp was now after Faith who blocked his every move. She flipped him over her shoulder but he landed on his feet and kicked her hard in the stomach and sent her crashing into the brick wall. She slumped down to the ground. 

"Faith!" Buffy called out. She made her way over to the injured slayer.

"See ya soon, slayers!" Den said and then they all vanished. 

"Faith, wake up!" Buffy said patting her face lightly. Faith's eyes fluttered open. "Faith, are you okay?"

Faith groaned as she tried to get up. "Did we get them all?" 

"No, they left," Buffy replied. "What did you think you were doing? You shouldn't be out here, fighting."

"Jeez, B. A little gratuity for saving your ass," Faith said massaging her shoulder.

"I am grateful. But you could've gotten hurt, or worse," she said nodding to Faith's stomach. 

"So what? I'm supposed to be all delicate and let you get killed? I don't think so," Faith countered.

"Not delicate," Buffy said. "Just careful."

"Whatever." 

"No, not whatever, Faith. You have to be more responsible. I thought that's what you wanted."

Faith shrugged. "Maybe."

Buffy sighed. "Let's get you back. We'll have the doctor check on you." Faith muttered under her breath but let Buffy walk her back to Wolfram & Hart. She prayed that Robin wouldn't find out.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* 

  


Willow let the little girl lead her into the dark forest in Cordelia's mind. It was like something out of a Brothers Grimm fable. "Is Cordelia in that cottage?" Willow asked when she spied a small house in a clearing. They approached the cottage and the little girl turned the knob. 

The little girl shook her head. "Not here." They walked through the door and into, a mall. 

"Figures," Willow muttered. She looked around at all the stores. They didn't have regular, tacky store names and they merchandise wasn't regular merchandise. Instead, the stores had titles like, 'Embarrassing Moments', 'Sunnydale High', 'Times at the Bronze'. Willow and the girl walked by a store called 'Intimate Moments' and Willow walked in. It was a movies store, but unlike a Sam Goody, the movies had pictures of Xander, Devon from Oz's band, George Clooney, and Angel on the covers. Giggling, Willow walked around the store, forgetting that she had let go of the little girl's hand. She jogged out and saw the little girl still walking down the mall. 

"Hey! Wait!" Willow ran after her, but the girl didn't stop and it seemed like she was getting further away. The little girl went into another store and Willow followed. "Um, little girl, where did you go?" The store was empty and dark. She took one step forward when a hand shot out from the darkness and grabbed her arm. 

"Aahh!" Willow screamed and she was dragged into the dark. It pulled her into a lightened room. Cordelia's old bedroom.

"Willow?" The hand belonged to Cordelia. "What are you doing here?"

"Cordy!" Willow embraced the girl. "I'm trying to help you. You're in a coma." 

Cordelia shrugged. "I know."

"You do?"

"Yeah. I kinda figured when I kept wandering around here and couldn't wake up. Did you guys defeat the First?"

"Yeah we did. How did you know about that?"

"Eh, I heard. Faith was right. You do hear a lot when you're in a coma." Cordelia said rubbing her ear.

"Faith?" 

"Yeah, I saw her earlier. And Buffy. Man, does she look bad. Just because you lose a loved one does not mean you have to stop moisturizing." Willow smiled she sounded like the old Cordelia that she knew and slightly despised. "And Jasmine?" Cordelia asked. "Did they kill Jasmine?"

"Who?"

"Jasmine. She was the Power That Be. Or was... Anyway, did Connor and Angel kill her? She was not good news."

"I- I guess so." Willow was now fully confused. "Who's Connor?"

Cordelia laughed. "Angel's son. You met him, remember?"

Willow's eyes widened. "Angel had a son? He can't have kids! He's a vampire!" 

"Yeah, well. He did. With Darla. Am I fat? I heard your metabolism slows down when you're in a coma and the last thing I ate was a bacon cheeseburger 'cause you know I was pregnant and the whole hormonal cravings." Cordelia was talking a mile a minute.

"Wait. Darla?" Willow said trying to comprehend what Cordelia had said. "Angel killed her. In Sunnydale."

"I know, but Wolfram & Hart brought her back as a human and then she was dying and Drusilla turned her into a vampire again," Cordelia explained. "Are you sure I'm not fat?"

"You're not. Cordelia, are you sure you didn't hit you head really hard? 'Cause you're really not making sense." 

"I don't remember." She said, running her fingers through her hair. "Did my hair get longer? I wasn't too sure about that haircut."

"Cordelia, stop talking. Let's get out of here and you can explain everything later," Willow said. 

"Okay. I really want to see Angel." Cordelia held Willow's hand like a little girl. "I didn't get a chance to tell him. They took me away that night I was supposed to meet him. Then Connor dumped Angel in the ocean. It was extreme bad timing." Cordelia said.

"Who took you away?"

"The Higher Powers. Willow, I became a Higher Power. Can you believe it?" Cordelia smiled.

Willow shook her head. "Not really."

"And you. You're a goddess," Cordelia stopped and smoothed Willow's hair around her face. "You're beautiful."

The redhead smiled. "Thank you. But I'm no goddess."

"Whatever." Cordelia opened a door. "I just want to see Angel. They said that I fulfilled whatever I was supposed to do and could join them. But I was on my way to meet Angel that night," Cordelia replied. 

"Meet him for what?"

"To tell him that I love him." 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* 

  


Giles sat back and rubbed his temples. He was tired of reading and deciphering and researching. He thought Buffy's idea for a trip to L.A would be more exciting, what with Disneyland and the La Brea tar pits. They all needed a vacation. 

"You okay there, Giles?" Dawn asked.

"I'm fine. I'm getting a migraine, though," he replied. He smiled at the young girl, "Thank you for asking, Dawn." Dawn beamed at him and went back to translating the papers she and Andrew had stolen from Lilah's office.

"Here," Wesley handed Giles a book. "Does that say what I think it says?" 

Giles put his glasses back on and read what Wesley had pointed out. " 'After the defeat of the First Evil by the Chosen One and her allies, and the return of a Champion, a great evil will follow. Five signs will signal it's return'," he stopped to look at Wesley. "This is what you've found before?"

Wesley nodded, "Yes, but what I hadn't yet translated were the signs. Here," he flipped the page.

"Oh, I see," Giles continued. " 'The Conception, The Twins, and The Rise and Fall of a Champion, and The Death of True Love'. What does it mean?"

" To be honest, I'm not sure," Wesley said. "But, we know some of these have already happened. Buffy and you all defeated the First, Spike's return..."

"Faith being pregnant," Andrew interrupted.

"What?" All eyes were on the jumpy blonde.

"Uh... Faith, the Dark Slayer, is with child," he said meekly.

It took a moment for that information to sink in and Giles was the first to recover. "Right. With Faith, pregnant, and Spike alive, we'll have to find a way to stop the rest from happening."

"How?" Dawn asked. " 'Cause I sure hope Faith's the only one conceiving here. I do not want to go around knocking on doors, stopping people from doing... it." 

"No, it would be Faith. Someone of importance, like a slayer," Wesley said. 

"Yes, but Mr. Giles said five signals, there are only four," Andrew said.

"No, 'The Rise **and** Fall of a Champion'. That's two different things," Dawn pointed out. "What are we going to do?"

"Figure out what to do next," Giles told Dawn and Andrew. "Find Willow and Angel, we'll need them."

"And Buffy?"

He sighed, removed his glasses and cleaned them. "We'll tell her later." 

  



	16. Author's Note

Author's Note

  


Hello. It's Me. The Author of The Story You're Reading. I'm just putting in this short author's note because I don't want you all to get discouraged and think I'm not writing anymore. I am writing more, but it'll take longer for me to post the next couple chapters. With work and other stuff, well you all know how it is. I promise that I'll have the next two chapters posted on Sunday. It's taking me a little longer to write the next chapters because I'm a little stuck. Not stuck, but I'm contemplating my next move. 

I want to thank EVERYBODY who's submitted review to the story. You guys are the reason I keep writing. Thank you especially to misus-spike, Passion Angel, shahid (even though I know you want it B/A and it probably won't happen but I hop you're enjoying it anyway), Dianna (You made my millenium when you said I should apply to Mutant Enemy and become a screenwriter), slayer87, and all the other people who reviewed. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! 

I'll have the next chapters up by Sunday, so don't fear. Thank you again, and keep reviewing. Also, to clear the air, Faith is not pregnant with Angel's baby, they were just joking around with Buffy, Spike will be waking up, but my biggest debate is how. I have two versions, both work but I'll have to do a coin toss or something. Andrew is playing both sides, working for Lilah and Wesley, I have a plan for Gunn (hee hee hee), and you're all probably gonna hate me later, so just brace yourself for a big surprise. It'll come later, on but it's just a heads up. Thank you all again.


	17. What's the Deal With These Twins?

  


Chapter Sixteen: What's the Deal With These Twins?

(Here it is. Long awaited but worth it I hope. Enjoy!) 

  


"Are you kidding me?" Spike asked. "I died and Angel gets to save his true love? That is bloody bull shit!" 

"That's the way it has to be, William," the voice said soothingly. 

Spike flopped down on a chair that materialized out of nowhere. He sulked angrily. Then he began to think. "Hey, spirit, or whatever you are."

"Yes, William?"

"All those things they found out about, have to happen so that "

"Yes."

"And Buffy could die?" 

"The Champion's true love will die."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* 

  


"How could you be so stupid?!" Angel yelled at Faith. The two slayers had gone out, patrolling, and Buffy came back practically carrying Faith. After a doctor checked her over, Buffy and Faith went to their room. Angel tailed them. He had actually been out there, watching them, resisting the urge to fight because he knew they'd just get mad. Now, he could be mad at them. "Don't roll your eyes at me, Faith. What'd you think you were doing? 

"Hey, it's not she planned to get hurt," Buffy said defending Faith. 

"She didn't? Then why did she jump into the middle of a brawl?" Angel asked.

"Hey, guys, 'she' is right here," Faith spoke up waving at them. "Talk to me, damn."

"Sorry, Faith," they both mumbled.

Faith rolled her eyes, "I jumped into the middle of a brawl between Buffy and seven vamps. She'd be a happy meal right now."

"But in your condition..." Angel started.

"My condition? My condition?" Faith asked incredulously. "I am not some weak, little girl, Angel."

"He has a point. What were you trying to prove out there?" Buffy asked.

Faith looked back and forth at her two friends. She sat on the bed and began sniffling. "I didn't know what to do," she confessed. "I thought I could make it go away."

"Make what go away?" Buffy asked before realizing what Faith was talking about. "Oh," she looked over at Angel. He moved in to comfort her.

Angel bent down and lifted Faith's chin up so she could look at him. She looked at him with teary eyes and a quivering lip, "I didn't know what to do." 

"It's okay," he soothed. He sat next to her and cradled her in his arms. "It's okay," he whispered. 

"No, it's not," her voice muffled against his chest. "I was trying to get rid of it. I thought it'd be easier. But then when that vamp threw me into the wall all I could think about was..." her voice cracked, "was the baby. It's not even a fetus yet, just a blob swimming around, but all I thought of was saving it."

Angel sighed heavily and held Faith tighter. Buffy watched her ex-lover and the ex-Dark Slayer share a moment more tender than any she had ever witnessed between two people. Strangely, she felt no twinge of envy, or fit of insane jealousy. Buffy would never understand their crazy relationship, but she was glad they had it. When the two finally uncoupled, Buffy gave Faith a fierce hug and whispered in her ear, "You do something like that again and I'll tie you to a chair." 

"Wouldn't be the first time," Faith replied and they smiled at each other. "Well, uh, I better go talk to Robin again. I left things kinda bad," she told them and left.

Angel and Buffy looked at each other and sighed. Angel chuckled, "She's crazy." 

"And what? We're surprised?" Buffy asked only half joking. 

"Yeah."

Buffy rubbed her elbow. It hurt, but the pain would be gone by the morning. Angel noticed her wincing and said. "You shouldn't have gone out."

"Why not?"

"Well, not alone," he said. "You should've told me. Or Wesley, or even Xander. There are rumblings, Buffy and you're a target."

"I wanted to go out. And I'm the... a slayer. I'm supposed to be a target. And I can handle myself," She told him.

"Yeah, you looked like you could," he mumbled under his breath.

"What?"

"Nothing." 

They walked together down the hall. "So what are you going to do now?" Buffy asked trying to initiate a conversation that wouldn't lead into an argument. 

"I should check in with my assistant..." Buffy snorted, trying to stifle a giggle. "What?" Angel asked. "What?"

"No, no," Buffy said waving him off. "It's just... Assistant. You have an assistant."

"So?"

"So, you're like Angel: businessman vampire, not Angel: broody, lurky vampire," she explained.

"I'm still lurky," he said, a smile playing on the corners of his lips.

Buffy rolled her eyes. "Yeah and broody. But it's different, the people here, they call you Mr. Angel and you're like, the boss. You've moved up and on."

"I guess so."

They kept walking till they reached the elevator. "Where are you going to be?" He asked her.

Buffy sighed. "I'm gonna go see Spike. See if anything's changed. Though, I doubt they have."

"Okay, I'll be in the library, if you, you know," he said uncomfortably.

She smiled and hugged him. "Thank you."

Angel closed his eyes and hugged her back. He bent down to kiss her. They kissed passionately, until Buffy pulled away and looked up at him. Angel stepped back, startled because it was no longer Buffy, it was Cordelia, smiling at him.

"Angel?" Buffy shook him. "Are you okay?" 

Angel blinked rapidly, trying to focus. "Uh, yeah." 

Buffy smiled at him, "All right. I'll see you," she gave him a quick peck on the cheek and left. Angel watched her walk away. He shook his head. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  


In an underground sewer, Riker, Den, and Mel all gathered round the Twins they had grabbed from the alley. The Twins stared at the three vamps with terror. Their golden green eyes matched their golden blonde hair and each had a mole under the left eye. It was hard to distinguish the boy from the girl, because they were equally attractive.   
"Can we eat them now?" Riker asked impatiently.

"Patience," Den said. "We can't eat them. Not yet."

"When?" Mel asked. Her yellow eyes gleamed with hunger. "I'm hungry now."

"Eat a rat then!" Den snapped. Mel growled at him, but he didn't budge. He grinned at the frightened twins. "There are plans for these two. Big plans."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"You love him?" Willow asked incredulously. 

Cordelia nodded. "I do." She twirled around happily. "I love him, I love him, I love him!" She stopped. "But, he doesn't love me. Not anymore."

"You mean, he loved you too?"

She sighed. "Yes. Then, I went away, and slept with his son, now I'm in a coma."

Willow didn't know what to say.

"Confusing, isn't it?"

"Yeah, but it's not surprising."

Cordy smiled. She looked up, as though she'd heard something. 

"What is it?" Willow asked looking up as well.

"Something's happening," she murmured. She looked at Willow, "You have to go." She said hurriedly. 

Willow was confused and concerned. "What? What is it?"

Cordy shook her head and pushed her towards a door. "No, no, you can't stay here. You have to go help them."

"Help who? Cordy, what's happening?" Willow asked.

"Angel, Buffy, something bad is coming, soon," she said opening the door. Willow looked out and saw herself, Fred and the comatose Cordelia in the dark room. Willow turned around to face Cordelia. "Tell me, what's going on."

Cordelia closed her eyes, "So strong, Willow." Cordelia kissed her forehead. "You have to figure this out. Find them, Help her, Catch him, Hold Him, Kill her," she said. "Or they're all gonna die."

"Who Cordy?" 

Cordelia shook her head. "No, Willow you have to go."

Willow grasped Cordelia's hand. "Come with me, Cordy. You have to wake up."

"Cordelia shook her head. "I can't. I'm not supposed to. It's part of the master plan."

"But..." 

"Go," was all Cordelia said as she pushed her out the door.

Willow awoke with a gasping breath. "Are you okay, Willow?" Fred asked.

"I'm fine," Willow said looking at Cordelia.

"What about Cordy?" 

"I'm sorry" Willow said. Fred bent down, tears falling from her eyes. Willow patted her shoulder, "C'mon, we have to go find Giles and Wesley."

Fred nodded, sniffling. "Okay." They left the room and Fred closed the door. " 'Bye, Cordy." 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* 

  


"Okay, so what's the deal with these twins?" Xander asked. "I mean, are they demons, or vampires?"

Giles shook his head. "We're not entirely sure, Xander. We don't know what any of these mean."

Willow took the book from Xander, "Are they human?"

"I assume so. Andrew, will you stop playing with that," Giles snapped.

Andrew had a little ball and was throwing it up in the air, "Sorry," he mumbled. 

"Gimme it," Xander said grabbing the ball mid-air.

"Hey!" Andrew said. 

"Xander!" Giles took his glasses off and rubbed his temples. Angel came into the room. And Giles looked up. "Where's Buffy?"

Angel sat down. "With Spike. What have we got?" He changed the subject.

"Some ancient prophecy telling about the coming of a new evil, and the signs that signal it," Xander replied. "You know, the usual."

"Mmm hmm," Angel looked at the group's notes. 

"Did Buffy run into any trouble on her patrol?" Giles asked.

"I tailed her, ran into some vamps. New ones, I didn't recognize them. About twenty or so. But Faith was there..."

"Faith? Was she hurt?" Xander asked, concerned. 

"No, thank God. I already talked to her," Angel said.

"Why? What's wrong with Faith?" Willow asked. 

"She's pregnant," Angel informed her. 

"What?"

Xander leaned over, "Preg-nant," he said phonetically 

She gave him a Look. " Giles, isn't that one of the signs?"

"Yes, I believe it is. Angel, anything else that was out of the ordinary? Unusual?" Giles said.

Angel thought back, "The vamps. There were three main ones, um, Riker, Den, and a female. They were after some kids. Twins, I think."  
Xander, Willow, Giles, Dawn, Andrew, Fred, and Wesley all looked at each other. Cordelia's mysterious words echoed in Willow's mind. She looked at Angel urgently, "Angel, we have to find those twins."

"Let's go then," Angel said getting up. "I'll get Buffy." 

"No, we can handle this, by ourselves. No need to ah, alarm, Buffy," Giles said choosing his words carefully. "Dawn, you and Andrew..." 

"I wanna go," Dawn whined. 

"No, it's too dangerous. You and Andrew will stay," Giles said firmly.

"M-Mr. Giles, I wanna go too," Andrew spoke up.

"Yeah, and I'll tell Buffy if you don't let us," Dawn said crossing her arms.

Angel covered a smile. Dawn was just as stubborn as her sister. Giles looked at him and he shrugged. "I'll look after her."

"Fine. Xander, Willow, weapons, Wesley, Fred..."

Fred loaded up a crossbow, "We know what to do," she told him.

"Very well, let's go." 

  



	18. Hide and Seek

  


Chapter Seventeen: Hide and Seek

  


"That's it!" Spike yelled. "I'm out of here!" He walked towards the door he had gone through before. 

"William, where are you going?"

"Back." He spat out. He reached for the handle, but the door disappeared before him. "Put it back," he demanded. 

"I already told you William. You can't go back, You decided that you needed to move on. You made the choice."

"Bugger the choice. I was trying to be selfless. It's a new concept to me and I'm not too good at it," he said searching vainly for the door.

"You made a sacrifice, William. The Powers That Be will make sure that it will not go unnoticed."

"The Powers That Be can kiss my..."

"William, do not be blasphemous. The time will come."

"Time for what? I'm bloody sick of being the Powers bloody pawn," There, he found it. "So, you can tell The Powers That Be to kiss my souled vampire ass because I'm leaving!" He roared. He threw open the door and stepped out. He smirked up at the voice and took another step and let out a yelp as he fell.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  


Buffy traced the newly formed pick scars on her hand. They felt so strange under her fingers, smooth like her own skin, but alien. The fire from when Buffy held Spike's hand in those last moments had burned sickly pink scars into her skin. They would fade within a month or so, but the fact that they were here now was painful enough. Kind of like the man she was sitting next to. Man. He was a man now. Something he'd always wanted to be for her. Some kind of man for her. 

Faith was right, it was always about her. It was disgusting really. To be the one person that everything revolved around. Not this time though. This time, she would just be a bystander. She'd let everyone else figure everything out, and maybe go on a vacation, alone. Somewhere, secluded, where no one could find her. Of course, she'd have to take Dawn because she couldn't leave her alone. And Willow, and Xander, she couldn't go with out her best friends. Faith and Robin too. Maybe Giles, if he wanted. And Andrew, out of pity, only. She chuckled softly to herself. Yeah, alone. So many times she dwelled on being alone, the lone wolf, she hated it, yet reveled in it. She'd leave, live a normal life, even for a short time. But not until he woke up, because she'd take him with her and never let him out of her sight.

She looked at him with her big green eyes. "Open your eyes Spike." She whispered. Anything to see those gray-blue eyes, like the sky after a storm. His intense gaze upon her, sending shivers up her spine, watching her every move, and at the same time making her feel safe and secure. She knew nothin would ever happen to her as long as he was watching. 

But he didn't open his eyes. There was still no movement, except for the rise and fall of his chest, breathing air. Buffy sighed and let herself out of the room. She walked to the elevator. Maybe she'd go and join Willow and Dawn in the library. Nothing like good old-fashioned, boring fun to take her mind off Spike.

"Ahem, Ms. Summers?" A tall, young woman with the blackest hair Buffy had every seen approached her. 

"Yes?"

She smiled prettily. "My name is Janet, Ms. Morgan's personal assistant. She would like to see you.

"She?"

"Yes. Lilah Morgan, Senior Business Partner of Wolfram & Hart. She'd like to meet with you," the young woman explained.

"Why?" Buffy didn't trust anyone here. Angel certainly didn't.

"I'm not sure. All she requested was an audience of your company, the Slayer?"

"A slayer," Buffy corrected. "Fine. Where is she?"

She smiled again. "I'll show you."

Buffy nodded and let the young woman lead her out of the hospital wing. She was curious about this Lilah. She had overheard Angel talking quietly to Wesley about her a number of times. And she hadn't yet been introduced to this popular person. 

"Right in here," the young woman ushered Buffy into a nice office. "She'll be a moment."

Buffy sat in a comfortable chair. She glanced around the room. Nothing remarkable about it. A long, polished wood table with the same comfortable chairs, a television conference set on the wall. The blinds were drawn, even though it was dusk. The doors opened and a rather gorgeous woman breezed in. She had blue eyes, brown hair that sat in waves around her shoulders, a set of full red lips, shapely legs, and good taste. She wore a silky, soft-red pants suit, matching heels, and a dark red scarf around her neck. Buffy shifted, she wasn't used to being intimidated by appearances. She felt awkward in her tight pants, t-shirt and jacket. 

She woman smiled, "Ms. Summers. Buffy, the Vampire Slayer." She extended her hand. "I am Lilah Morgan."

"Nice to meet you," Buffy said shaking her hand and sitting back down. "What do you want?"

"Now, now, Ms. Summers. I thought we'd get to know each other better," she said pouring a glass of water and offering it to her. 

Buffy took the glass. "Fine. Me, Buffy, Slayer. You, Lilah, evil?" 

Lilah chuckled. "Not quite anymore. Angel's working with us. Or rather, we're working for him. Would Angel really align himself with evil?"

"Angel can be stupid sometimes. Especially when it comes to a pretty face," Buffy replied.

She smiled again, "True. But then again, he did leave you." Buffy looked shocked. "Oh, don't look surprised," Lilah continued. "We know everything."

Buffy looked down at her water. "Everything?"

"Almost," Lilah said. "Didn't know about your peroxided lover. Angel managed to hide that one till the last minute." She settled in her chair. "From what I understand, even from you." 

"He had his reasons."

"Did he? Angel's selfish." She licked her lips. "Selfish, souled vampire."

Buffy growled. "He's not selfish."

Lilah tilted her head. "No, I suppose not. I mean after all he did sacrifice his son to give him a better life..."

"His son?!" Buffy stood up. "Angel can't have a son. He's a vampire."

"Oh, but he did. Something the Powers That Be cooked up. Darla had Angel's son, Connor, and poor, comatose Cordelia had Connor's baby. A Power That Was, or whatever. It was a wild time." Lilah sat back.

Buffy's head was spinning. "Angel had a son?" 

"The Champion had the Destroyer. I'm telling you it was a great time. Well," she touched her neck, "not so much for me." 

Buffy blinked, trying to understand what she had been told. "What else do you know?"

Lilah showed her teeth. "That's the thing. I'll tell you what I know and you tell me the Master Plan."

"What plan?"

"The Plan your little gang of misfits are brewing up. Why Willow was trying to wake up Cordelia, why Spike was being hidden, why they've all been holed up in the library researching a new prophecy?" Lilah said.

"I don't know what you're talking about. I don't know what they've been doing," Buffy replied, still reeling from the Angel Has A Son news.

Lilah face fell when she realized that she had given something away. She quickly regained her cool composure. "Well, if I were you I'd find out post-haste. Seems they're not letting the slayer in on something major."

"A slayer." Buffy said getting up and walking to the door.

"Excuse me?"

Buffy turned. "I'm **a** slayer."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 

The Scoobies and the Fang Gang all descended into the foul-smelling sewer, weapons in hand, sloshing through polluted water and other gross odds and ends. Xander walked behind Angel, who was, of course, leading the herd. 

"Hey, Angel, where exactly are we going?" Xander asked.

Angel shrugged, "Don't know. Just following the scent."

"What scent? All I smell is garbage and human waste," Andrew said. He was behind Dawn and was clutching a stake and cross. "The kind of waste that creepy, crawly monsters dwell in. They sneak up behind you and grab you, pulling you down into the water while your companions fire their blasters at it because your gun's jammed and you can't get free. Then it let's you go 'cause something worse is about to happen..."

Dawn rolled her eyes and quickened her pace through the ankle deep filth, so that she was between Xander and Angel.

"I'd get back, Dawn," Angel warned. "Stay near Fred and Gunn."

"I'll take my chances up here than with Mr. Chicken back there," she said nodding towards Andrew who leapt at every noise. 

Angel chuckled then stopped. He turned a corner, "Through here," he said going through a smaller tunnel. "The sewers come to an underground system about a hundred feet ahead. I think they're there."

The group followed him and sure enough, one hundred feet later, they came to an opening, a spot where it was dry and it overlooked the Vampire's Lair. Angel peered over and saw the Twins huddled together in a corner, guarded by Chan, the karate vampire from the alley. Den and Mel were sitting at a table and Riker was drinking blood from a rat.

"How many?" Wesley whispered.

Angel did a quick scan, "No more than thirty."

"Thirty? I like those odds," Gunn smiled. He loved this. The fight. And now, he was more powerful.

Fred looked at Gunn and gave him a confused look but smiled. "Angel, where do you want us?"

Angel thought for a moment. "Gunn, Xander, you're with me. , Wesley, Giles and Willow will attack from the left, Fred, you and Dawn stay up here with the crossbows."

"W- What about me?" Andrew asked.

Angel smiled.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"I don't want to be the bait!" Andrew wailed. 

"Shh!" Dawn said. "It's for the good of the group."

"We won't let them kill you," Giles assured him.

"No, but if one happens to take a bite..." Xander shrugged, "Nothing we can do about that."

Andrew whimpered. "I accept this mission." He saluted them and scampered down the ladder. Angel, Gunn, Xander, Giles, Wesley, and Willow all got ready. Fred and Dawn loaded their crossbows from their higher position. 

"Hey there, vampire scum!" Andrew's voice faltered but he kept on. All the vampires turned and looked at the boy.

"What is that?" Den saw Andrew. "Get him," he said to Riker.

"That's right, come get me," Andrew started to run but Riker was faster. 

He had Andrew by the throat. "Stupid, tasty morsel," he snarled. 

"What do we have here?" Den asked.

"Aren't you afraid, little one?" Mel showed her gleaming teeth.

Andrew wriggled around. "Extremely, but I've taught myself to withstand large amounts of pain."

Riker tightened his grip and Andrew was beginning to see black spots. "Too bad, because your death will be quick."

"Now!" Angel yelled and the group came out full force, and the fight ensued. Dawn and Fred shot two vamps cleanly through the heart as Angel jumped over their ashes. 

Riker dropped Andrew to block Angel's attack. Andrew fell to the ground, grabbed the stake from his back pocket and ran. Angel punched Riker in the gut and he went flying through the air. Gunn swung his ax at Den, but the vampire grabbed it and knocked Gunn down. Giles had managed to dust one vamp quickly, but was having a harder time with the second, he was struggling with it on the floor and just when it seemed the vamp had won, Xander sliced it's head off with his sword. Xander helped the old man up and together they battled three more vamps. 

"Angel!" Fred yelled. Four vamps had made their way up to where Dawn and Fred where perched. Angel looked up and started to make his way to the girls when Chan flew out from nowhere, kicking Angel sending him into a wall.

"Wes!" He called out. "Get the girls!" 

Wesley staked a vamp with his arm contraption and looked up to see Fred and Dawn fighting off four vampires. He ran and was suddenly lifted into the air and placed onto the ledge. He looked down at Willow, who nodded.

Fred hit a vamp with her crossbow and he flew over the edge. "Fred! Help!" Dawn screamed. The vamp had Dawn against the wall. Fred jumped on the vamp's back but he shoved her off and she fell to the ground hard. Wesley, armed now with two stakes, swiftly hit and staked two vamps and grabbed the one holding Dawn by the hair, staking him as well.

"Come on," he urged sending Dawn down the ladder where Andrew was waiting. 

"But Fred," Dawn pointed to the brown-haired girl on the floor. 

"I'll get her, go!" He said scooping Fred up. Suddenly, a vamp dropped from the ceiling and jumped on Wesley, who dropped Fred over the side. 

"Catch her!" Dawn screamed. 

Willow opened her arms and said, "Slow." Fred's body slowed enough for Xander to run over and catch her.

The vamp had knocked Wesley's weapons from his hands and broke his contraption. The vamp continued to kick Wesley on the ground until dust rain down on Wes' head. He looked up to see Gunn's extended hand, offering to help him up.

"Thanks, Mate," Wesley said.

"Anytime, English," Gunn smiled and they rejoined the battle.

Angel had his hands full with Chan as he blocked another lightning fast punch, but missed the second swing. He staggered back then kicked the smaller vampire but he flipped and landed on his feet. "You wanna be like that, Karate Kid?"

Chan sneered and flew at Angel. Attacking him with a fury of kicks and punches. Angel dodged most of them and finally grabbed him and threw him over his shoulder. "Didn't land on you feet this time did you?" Angel asked as he plunged a stake through his heart. Chan was dust. He looked around. Most of the vamps had either been killed or scampered off. Riker, Den and Mel, were nowhere to be seen. And neither were the Twins.

He jogged over to the weary group. "Where'd they go?"

"That way," Willow pointed all out of breath to the entrance to another tunnel. 

Angel looked at them. They were in no shape to go another round. Xander was carrying Fred who was bleeding from the side of her head. Giles definitely needed to sit as he winced every time he breathed. Dawn had a cut above her eye, and Wesley on his cheek. Gunn looked tired as he kept rubbing his eyes, and Andrew's neck was bruised from Riker's grip. He sighed, "We'll go again tomorrow." There weren't any complaints. 

"Angel, look," Dawn ran over to where the Twins were sitting before. Writing was scrawled on the floor. 

Giles and Wes peered over her shoulder to read the inscription. " 'What you seek is not lost. Find the hidden, at any cost'." Giles read. 

"What does it mean?" Angel asked.

"Hide and Seek," Fred murmured.

"Huh?" Xander asked as he put Fred down, but kept his arm around her waist to steady her.

"It's a game," she said.

"I know what Hide and Seek is," Xander said. "But what are you talking about?"

Willow's eyes lit up, "Oh! 'Find them', they want to play. The vamps didn't take the Twins, they hid from them, now we have to find them."

"Fine. We'll play, spread out, go in pairs," Angel said. So they split up. Xander and Andrew, Willow and Dawn, Gunn and Wesley, and Angel and Fred. Giles decided to stay behind, just in case. Angel knew he wasn't up to going out again, but said nothing to spare the Watcher's pride.

"Come back here in an hour," Angel told them as they all went their separate ways.

  


(I still hope you're all liking this. It'll get better, I promise.)


	19. The Master Plan

Chapter Eighteen: The Master Plan

(Sorry 'bout the wait. It's all coming together in my brain now. Don't worry, more shall come.)

  


  


Spike had been falling for a good while now. He'd given up screaming about fifteen minutes ago. Now, he was just letting gravity run it's course until he landed, preferably on something soft. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

  


Buffy was pissed. It was the only way to describe what she was feeling. Once again, her friends had managed to kick her out of the loop. Bastards. The whole lot of them. She stewed in her contempt. She was pretty sure that Faith didn't know anything, she would've blurted it out. She thought about going over and talking to Faith, but she was with Robin, and she didn't want to interrupt them. She grabbed a couple of stakes and headed out. The group wasn't in the library, that was the first place she checked for them. She was prepared to give them a good chuck of her mind, but instead found all their notes and books about a prophecy and junk. That's all she needed now, more shit to deal with. 

Buffy tracked them all the way to the sewers. There she found ashy vampire remains and blood splatter. Just then, she heard a noise and whirled around, almost staking her Watcher. 

"Giles!" She exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

"What am I doing here? What are you doing here?" He asked.

Her eyes narrowed and she pushed him. "I followed you guys. Look like I missed a pretty good fight." She said noting the blood and piles of dust.

Giles sat on a beat-up chair, he lifted his shirt, exposing a nasty purple bruise under his ribs, flinching in discomfort as he did. "Ha, you did. Stop it." 

"Stop what?"

"Glaring at me."

"You know why, right?"

"Yes."

Buffy rolled her eyes. "Then why didn't you tell me what was going on? Instead, I have to hear it from Lilah."

"Lilah?"

"That weird woman, Angel and Wesley are always talking about," she told him. "Why didn't you tell me, Giles?"

"Didn't want to worry you," he replied, fibbing. "You've been through enough." She crossed her arms and gave him a Look. "What? That's all you're getting out of me."

"And?"

"And you should feel lucky I'm too hurt to really tell you what's on my mind." He said.

"Giles!" She whined.

He sighed, it hurt. "Oh, all right. And next time something is going on we'll tell you. Happy?"

"No."

"Good Lord, Buffy. You could at least accept that. It's not that big a deal," He said taking his glasses off.

"No, Giles..." she walked over to a spot on the floor. She touched it, it was red. "Is Dawn here?" 

"Yes, Buffy it wasn't my idea. Dawn wanted to come." He said.

"Giles, you could've said no or tied her up. Which way did she go?" She demanded.

Giles pointed to a tunnel to Buffy's left. "Her and Willow went that way."

Buffy wiped the blood on her pant leg. "Okay. Do you need me to take you back to Angel's?"

Giles stood up, "No, I can manage."

Buffy nodded and ran down the dark tunnel.

"I'm sorry," he whispered after her.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Buffy stopped running after a few yards. The filthy water was splashing up with every step she took, and it smelled really bad. "Dawn, I'm gonna kill you," she muttered when she saw a dead rat float by, it's legs up in the air. She rounded a corner and decided where to go next. 

"Hello." Buffy gave a little yelp when she felt a tug at the back of her jacket. She turned around and saw the pair of Twins the vamps were after earlier.

"Hello," she said. "You shouldn't be down here. There are bad things down here."

"Are you looking for us?" The little girl asked. 

Buffy shook her head. "I'm looking for my sister and my friends. Have you seen them?"

The little boy whispered something into the little girl's ear. "We haven't seen them. But can you take us with you?" 

"I'm sorry," Buffy smiled. 

The little boy whispered into the little girl's ear again. "Please?" She took hold of Buffy hand. 

Buffy relented, "Okay. But if we see anything bad, you have to run away." The little boy whispered in the little girl's ear yet again an the little girl smiled. "Okay."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

  


They trudged along for a good while now. "Xander, can we stop?" Andrew asked whiningly. 

"No," Xander replied. "Sooner we find those twins, faster we get out of here."

Andrew leaned against the dirty wall. "I'm so tired though."

"Well so am I."

They continued walking until Xander tripped and fell face first into the sewage. "Oh gross!" Xander screamed. He got to his feet. "What was that?" Andrew felt around in the water, and pulled up the top half of a rotting, water logged, corpse. "Gah!" Xander jumped back and fell again in the water. "Put that down!" He ordered Andrew. 

"What? It's just a dead body," Andrew said.

"Half a dead body. It's disgusting," Xander said. They heard distant splashing and Willow and Dawn came up behind Andrew. 

"We heard screaming," Dawn said.

"What's wrong?" Willow added.

"Oh, Xander's just afraid of this dead body," Andrew said turning around showing them the decomposing corpse. They girls jumped back and screamed. Dawn buried her face in Willow's shoulder.

"What's all the screaming?" Wesley and Gunn ran up to them. 

"Dude, drop that thing, you're gonna get maggots," Gunn told Andrew. 

Wesley peered at it. "Must be one of the vampire's victims," he announced. 

"Where's the rest of him?" Dawn asked, her voice muffled. 

"The rats, I assume," Wesley said. 

"It's coming from over here," they Angel's voice say. Angel and Fred joined the rest of the group. "Hey, what's up? Oh, he's dead," Angel said looking at Andrew's friend.

"Been dead. He's all poofy, and he doesn't have eyes, his entrails are hanging out..." Andrew described much to everyone's chagrin.

"Yes, yes. We've all seen the dead body." Xander gulped. "Now, can someone help me up before I lose everything I've ever eaten?" 

Angel lent Xander a hand. "Better?"

His knees wobbled, and he tasted puke in the back of his throat. "No," Xander said and he turned and threw up .

"Ew!" Everyone exclaimed and backed away from Xander. 

"What's with the Geneva Convention?" Buffy asked coming up behind them. "Oh, he's dead," she said looking at Andrew, who was still holding the body.

"We've all established that," Xander commented weakly. He was still a nice shade of pale green.

"What are you doing here?" Angel asked Buffy.

"Oh, I dunno. I like taking late-night walks through rat-infested sewers," she replied sarcastically. "Especially to look for my sister and my friends, who don't let me in on anything any more." She put her hands on her hips. 

"We didn't want..." 

"To worry me?" Buffy interrupted Willow. "Good job with the no worrying me when Dawn's out here playing hide and seek with a corpse."

"Buffy..." Willow tried to apologize.

"No, Will. I wanna know what's going on. Since no one wants to tell me what goes on anymore, who can have kids and such," she said looking at Angel.

Angel cleared his throat, "We were looking for these twins..."

"Twins. Like babies? Like tiny little, Angel-faced babies?" She said still looking at a very uncomfortable Angel. Then a light bulb went off. "Oh!" Buffy looked around, "Twins, I found them. A boy and a girl. They were right here." 

The group looked at each other. "We'd better head back to the firm," Angel said.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Okay, so what's the Master Plan?" Buffy asked after the group was finished telling her what they had been hiding from her.

"We, uh, actually don't have one," Giles confessed. "We're playing by ear." 

"But we're getting there," Dawn handed her a book. "See, we've translated almost everything. Except for some of the stuff Andrew and I found in Lilah's office."

"What were you doing in Lilah's office?" Angel turned to Dawn. 

"We uh... we were..." Dawn trailed off. She looked at Andrew, "Andrew!" She pointed her finger at Andrew who was trying to make himself as small as possible. "H-He wanted to go there and look for something."

"Look for what?" Angel now turned to Andrew.

"Uh... er.." Andrew wanted to hide. "I was looking..."

"For me," Wesley spoke up. "I asked him to get something." 

Angel looked at Wes, making a mental note to talk to him later. He smacked his lips together, "Okay. But stay away from Lilah. She's bad news. Buffy?"

"What? Huh?" Buffy looked up.

"Dawn should stay away from Lilah, she's bad news?" Angel said.

"Oh yeah. Dawn, don't go there again. But, she's not that bad," Buffy said to Angel.

"Yes she is. She always has her own agenda. She's evil."

"Whatever. She just didn't seem that evil," she muttered under her breath. "So, this prophecy. New Big Bad." She read from the book. " 'After the defeat of the First Evil by the Chosen One and her allies, and the return of a Champion, a great evil will follow.' " She sighed. "Why is there always consequences? 'Five signs will signal it's return. 'The Conception, The Twins, and The Rise and Fall of a Champion, and The Death of True Love' I don't like the sound of that last one."

"What do you wanna do?" Angel asked.

"Oh yeah, when it's time for Buffy to come up with a game plan, tell her everything at once," she said sarcastically. "I don't have any idea what this all means."

"Maybe we should just play this one by ear," Willow offered. "I mean, it's worked so far."

"What about those Twins?" Fred asked. "Buffy said she found them, then they disappeared."

"Well, Cordelia to me something..."

"Cordelia?" Angel head snapped up. "Cordy's awake?"

Willow shook her head. "No, I tried to wake her up, but I couldn't. Anyway, she told me to 'find them'. I didn't know what she was talking about, but what if that's all we had to do?"

"Wait, so you mean these things are literal?" Xander asked. "Well, color me obvious."

"If the signs have a literal meaning that means..." Giles started.

"They can be prevented," Angel finished.

"Then we prevent them," Buffy said.

"We just have to find out where, when and who, and be there first," Willow said.

"Right," Xander clapped his hands together, "That's the Master Plan."

"Are they always this disorganized?" Fred asked Wesley.

"Worse," he replied. "But they seem to get the job done." 


	20. A New Plan

  


Chapter Nineteen: A New Plan

  


  


Spike woke up in his hospital room. He looked around. He made it back. He got up and went to the door. He went right through it. "Oh," he looked down. "Still don't have my body." He went back into his room. There he was, laying there. "Fine then," he sat. "I'll wait. Again."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* 

Angel rubbed his hands together, impatiently. Wesley, Fred, Giles, Willow, Buffy, Dawn and him, were all in the library researching diligently. He had just finished one dead-ended book and didn't want to read another. He decided there might be another way, plus he didn't want Buffy to be mad at him. Again. 

"Anything?" He asked to no one in particular. Giles took off his glasses and cleaned them. Willow shook her head but smiled hopefully, Fred also shook her head.

"We haven't found anything, Angel," Wesley said.

"What about Lilah's people, er, our people? We could have more help," Fred suggested.

"I'd rather not have Lilah involved in any of this," Wesley expressed.

"Wes is right. I don't trust Lilah," Angel agreed. "Just keep working."

"Uh, Angel," Giles approached Angel, his voice low. "I'm afraid if we can't find anything, we're going to have to let Spike die."

Angel heaved. "Buffy's going to be pissed," he muttered.

"Buffy will get over it," Giles said curtly, surprising Angel with his lack of compassion for his slayer. "If Spike lives as he is now, a former vampire turned human, the consequences will be catastrophic. Everything that we have faced and defeated, will come back. History will repeat itself. We can not let our emotions cloud our judgment."

Angel nodded, "I understand." 

"You're not really going to let Spike die, are you?" Dawn spoke up. All eyes went to her.

"Dawn, what have I told you about eavesdropping?" Giles snapped. 

Willow patted Dawn's hand. "Sweetie, I know it's hard, but it might be the only way to stop this new Big Bad."

"Spike's barely holding on, Dawn," Fred smiled tried to comfort her. "He won't feel it."

Dawn shook her head, her long, light brown hair falling around her shoulders. "But we _can_ save him." She said. "Look," she showed the group the pieces of paper that she stole from Lilah's office. " 'The champion can not live on as a human, for it is unnatural. But rather be able to live on as a vampire'." She said reading from the excerpt.

"You can read ancient Sumerian? Wesley asked.

"Dawn's become quite good at reading languages, actually" Giles said taking off his glasses and taking out his handkerchief. "Too good." He murmured. 

"Yes," Wesley read what Dawn had just read. "If this is correct, then, Spike can live."

"Yeah, but that means he'll have to be re-vampified," Willow said sheepishly as she drew blank stares from the group. "Or.... Re-sired," she said finding the right word. "He'll lose his soul."

"No, he'll retain it because he gave his life in sacrifice," Wesley said reading on from the papers.

"See?" Dawn said all smiles. "We just have to sire him." 

"No," Angel spoke up. " 'We' don't sire him." He sighed darkly. "I do."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Faith sat alone in her room. She seemed to be doing a lot of that these days. After coming back from the infirmary, she found Robin packing what little things he had. "What are you doing?" She asked.

"My cousin called me. She needs me to help her out in New York," He replied.

"So, you're leaving?" 

"Surprise." He said trying to make a feeble joke as he put his toothbrush in the small duffel bag.

"Okay," she sat on the bed and flipped through a magazine she grabbed from the night stand.

He stared at her, "Okay? That's it? No yelling? Pleading with me not to go?"

She turned the page, "That's it. I'm too tired to yell and I was never one to beg."

Robin laughed, shaking his head. "I really don't get you." 

"Funny, you acted like you had me all sorted out," she replied.

"Faith," he sat on the bed and took the magazine from her. "If you don't want me to go. Just say so. I won't go."

She looked at him. "No. I don't need you."

"I'll come back as soon as possible." 

"Don't make me any promises. I don't believe in them. If you come back, you come back. We'll see what happens from there."

He sighed and shook his head. "Fine." He kissed her on the forehead. "i'll be back."

" 'Kay."

Now, she was sitting all alone. Buffy and the gang had gone off to look for something. Nobody bothered to ask Faith if she wanted to go. Of course, who should happen along but Xander.

"Hey, Faith. Whatcha doing?" He asked sticking his head in the door.

"Playing hopscotch Harris. What does it look like?" She growled.

"Touchy," he said inviting himself in. "Where's Robin?"

"He left."

"Where?"

"To New York."

"New York?"

"Yep."

Xander was quiet. "Did he know about the baby?"

"Yep."

"And he still left?"

"Yep."

Xander sighed, "Wow. I would've though he was more level headed than that."

Faith shrugged, "Guess not."

"Do you need anything?"

"No."

"If you do..."

"I got it, Xander." She interrupted.

"Okay. I'll see you later."

'No, you won't,' she thought.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

  


"I don't think that a good idea, Angel," Fred said.

"Fred's right," Giles stood up. "It's much too dangerous." 

"You have to, Angel. He's going to die," Dawn said. 

"Then he dies," Giles said flatly. "If he lives, we're doomed." 

"No, only if he lives as a human. Buffy?" Dawn turned to her sister. 

Buffy who had been silent since Dawn stumbled upon her revelation, now looked up at the three of them. "Do it." 

"Buffy," Giles said taking off his glasses. "Spike..."

"Don't," she said putting up her hand. "You have no opinion about Spike." 

Angel looked at Buffy, "You don't know what you're asking me to do."

"I'm asking you to save the day."

"You're asking me to save your lover." 

"That too. You owe me Angel. Do it."

He sighed. "Fine."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

  


Spike walked around his hospital room. He didn't want to wander too far from his body. Didn't know if he could get lost or something, and he rather liked his body. He wondered how long it would be till he woke up. He couldn't wait to see Buffy again, to touch her, to kiss her, to run his fingers through her hair. He sighed, he needed a cigarette. The door flew open, and Buffy, Angel, Dawn, Willow, Wesley and Gunn all walked into the room.

"What's with the poofter brigade?" He muttered to himself. He watched as Angel vamped out and bent his head down, sinking his teeth into Spike's neck.

"Hey!" Spike got up. "What the bloody hell do you think you're doing?" He looked back at Buffy. Her arms were crossed as she watched Angel. He walked over to Buffy, "Why are you just standing there?" He yelled into Buffy's ear, and of course she didn't hear. "Angel's over there getting his snack on and you're all letting him!"

Suddenly, Spike was pulled into his body. The flat line monitor went off and Spike's eyes fluttered open. "What..." he mumbled. 

"Here," Angel bit into his own wrist and pressed it to Spike's mouth. "Drink."

Spike let the blood flood his mouth, he started to suck at Angel's wrist. "Enough," Angel said. Spike sucked harder. "Enough!" He ripped his arm away from Spike and stumbled back. 

"Catch him!" Willow yelled. Gunn and Wesley caught Angel before he fell. They held him up. Angel was drained. "It took a lot out of him."

Spike laughed. Then he levitated off his gurney. "Hold him down!" Willow told Buffy. And Buffy pushed Spike down and held him as he struggled.

"What's happening?" Dawn asked.

"His soul's being ripped away from him," Wesley said.

Spike growled and fought against Buffy's grip, but she was stronger. "Let go, slayer!" He roared. Then he began to seize. Shaking violently, his eyes rolled in the back of his head. And then stopped.

"What happened?" Buffy asked. 

"He's dead. He'll rise, in a day or so," Wesley replied. 

She ran her hand over his cheek. She turned to Willow. "Angel?"

"He's okay," Willow assured her. "Spike must've taken a lot out of him."

"He practically drained me," Angel said. 

"Angel..." Buffy started to go to him.

He put up his hand, "Don't. We're even." And he left.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

  


Buffy spent the entire night watching Spike. He didn't move of course, but she wanted to be when he rose. A soft knock at the door made Buffy get up and open it. It was Dawn.

"Is he awake yet?" She asked anxiously.

Buffy closed the door to a crack. "Not yet Dawn."

"When?"

She checked her watch, "I don't know. A couple hours maybe. You should get some sleep."

"Uh uh. I'm way too wired to sleep. Andrew and me met Lorne. Have you met him? He's really cool and green. Any ways, Lorne gave us a cappuchino. Those are really good. And now I can't sleep." Dawn was talking fast.

Buffy groaned. "Remind me to find him and thank him." 

"Okay." 

"Go sit down," Buffy told her little sister.

"Okay. Buffy?"

"Yeah?"

Dawn hopped from one foot to the other. "Do you think Spike will be okay?"

"I don't know."

Spike woke up. That was the strangest dream. What had he eaten before he fell asleep? His eyes stung from the bright, fluorescent lighting in the room he was in. Where was he? All he remembered was Buffy. Buffy looking up at him pleading him not to go. Spike pulled the ivy needle out of his arm and ripped off all the electrodes stuck to his body. He swung his legs around knocking over a tray next to him. The noise awakened a sleeping Buffy in a chair. He blinked a couple of times, trying to focus. Someone was in the room. "Buffy?" He took a step and faltered. Buffy rushed to his side and caught Spike before he dove into the tile. She steadied him. And he smiled that wonderful half-smile at her, "You got me." 

"Yeah, I got you." Buffy said to him.

(Yay! I finally spat that chapter out. I basically have the rest written out. It's now just a matter of going over it and filling in detail and nitpicking. Thank for all the reviews.)


	21. Death Becomes Her

Chapter Twenty: Death Becomes Her 

(I'm sick, so bear with me. I'm all pukey and feverish. And I'm listening to angst-y rock. Forgive Me. Blame it on the fever.)

  


Buffy helped Spike back onto his bed. She kept her arm around his waist. She didn't want to let go of him.

He groaned. "A little tighter, pet," he said sarcastically. 

"Oh," she reluctantly let go. He hung his head down. "I feel..." he tried to move, wincing with pain, "like shit."

Buffy stood in front of him with her arms crossed, just staring at him. His wavy, bleach blond hair with the roots showing, stuck up wildly. She couldn't see any other part of his body, thanks to the ridiculous hospital gown. "Uh," she started. "Do you remember anything?"

He looked up at her, pain in his eyes. "Yeah."

"Oh."

Spike made to stand again. His stomach growled. "I'm hungry," he said.

"I'll get Angel to..." She stopped when she saw the look on his face. Not a good time to mention Angel. "I'll get you some blood," she corrected. She turned to leave.

"Buffy." Spike called out. She paused, but walked out the door.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  


'Oh God,' she thought to herself as she quickly walked away. 'He hates me.' Buffy shook her head. When was she going to stop screwing everything up?

She messed things up with Angel by making him sire Spike. Then messed things up with Spike by bringing him back. She did to him what her friends had done to her when she died. She brought him back from heaven. He'd never forgive her, just like she still didn't fully forgive her friends. She had to do something. Her first instinct was to run. She found Dawn, told her to bring Spike blood, then took off in search of Willow, Giles and Xander.

"Buffy, are you sure you want to leave?" Willow asked.

She nodded. "I think we've worn out our welcome here. Besides, we have to look for the new slayers."

Xander nodded, "I'm with you, Buff. Tell us when."

"The sooner the better," she replied.

Willow looked at Buffy. "Does this have anything to do with Spike?"

'Of course it does,' Buffy thought. She smiled and shook her head, "No. it's just time we left." Willow nodded, but still didn't believe her best friend.

"We'll leave the day after tomorrow then," Giles announced. "Give us time to gather our things, and say our good-byes."

Buffy nodded. "I'll see you guys later then." And they parted.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* 

  


Angel sat staring sullenly into a mug of blood. He didn't really want it. But he needed to drink animal blood before he started craving human blood. He was so mad at Buffy. How dare she use Connor as blackmail to get him to turn Spike. How'd she even know? Nobody remembered him, except him and Lilah, of course. And he didn't think Lilah would tell her? What'd she have to gain out of that? Either way, Buffy knew and used it to her advantage. She was good at that.

"Mr. Angel, you have a visitor," Derek's voice came through on his intercom. 

"Who is it?"

"A Miss Buffy Summers," Derek replied. 

Angel really didn't feel like talking to her right now. "Send her away."

Suddenly, the door was kicked in and Buffy stalked in. "We need to talk."

"Thank you Derek," he said into the intercom. "What do you want?"

"Let's see, where do I start? Oh, you have a son," she said. 

"Had," he corrected. "I had a son." Buffy's hard expression softened. "He's gone now."

"Why didn't you tell me about this?" She asked.

He shrugged. "What's to tell? Somehow the Powers That Be orchestrated it so that I could have a son. Actually, that two vampires could have a child."

"Darla."

He nodded. "Darla. Wolfram & Hart brought her back then Drusilla sired her."

"Did you sleep with her?"

"Yes."

"And?" 

"I didn't lose my soul, Buffy. She doesn't make me happy."

She looked down. "Oh."

He felt bad. Then he got angry. "You shouldn't be mad."

"I'm not!"

"Yeah, you are. I can tell. You're mad 'cause I had a kid, with Darla. When I should be mad at you for using that to make me re-sire Spike." He couldn't stop. "Why are you so pissed at everyone else when you're the cause of most of it?"

Her eyes widened, stunned. "How is this all my fault?"

"Because Buffy, it's always about you. It always has to do with you in some way. You have to make everything your problem, then blame it on everyone else. Losing Spike was your fault. And just because you're mad at yourself, don't take it out on me. Or on anyone else." He said.

She stared at him, then her face softened. "Thank you, Angel."

"For what?" He asked and she left before saying anything. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Willow and Xander were still in the library researching. Willow didn't want to leave without figuring out the last clue. 'Kill her,' she thought. 'Kill who?' 

"Okay," Xander threw a book down on the table. "Officially, researched out." He glanced at Willow. She was deep in a book. "Penny for your thoughts."

"Huh?" Willow asked looking up at him. Xander raised an eyebrow. "Oh, I'm just thinking of the last clue. I mean, we solved them all except te last one." 

"You mean that 'Find them, Help her, Catch him, Hold Him, Kill her. Or they're all gonna die' message?" Xander asked. "What's the last one?"

" 'Kill Her,' " Willow replied. 

Xander sighed, "Ah, that one. Are you sure we need to figure that one out? It's so violent. And we already stopped another Big Bad by re-siring Spike."

"I'm just afraid that this one will be worse," Willow told him. 

"Then we narrow it down. 'Find them' referred to the Twins, right? And 'Help her' to Faith, obviously. 'Catch him' meant Angel, and 'Hold him' was Spike." He said counting them off on his fingers.

"And each one of them was a sign," Willow explained. " 'The Twins, The Conception, The Rise and Fall of a Champion, and Death of True Love..." Willow Willow trailed off. She blinked. "I figured it out!" She exclaimed. "C'mon!" She grabbed Xander's hand. 

"Where are we going?"

"To kill her!" She replied and they ran out of the Library. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Fred was in the library, behind a bookcase, when she overheard Willow and Xander. Willow was talking about Cordelia. She had to warn Angel. She ran through the halls and finally found Angel talking to his assistant, Derek.

"Angel!" Fred exclaimed out of breath.

"What is it Fred?" 

"Willow and Xander. They're going to kill Cordy!" She said tearfully.

"What?!" His eyes flashed. What the hell was Willow up to? "Stay here," he told Fred and started running. With his vampire abilities, it was easy to catch up to them. 

"Willow! Stop!" Angel wasn't fast enough. Willow and Xander turned a corner and shut the door to Cordy's room.

Willow put up her hand, "Secure," she said.

Angel ran into the door. They locked it. He began hitting it with his shoulder. "Willow!" He bellowed. "Let me in!"

"Mighty Heavens, in all your glory, accept this girl, set her free," Energy began crackling around them. Willow pulled out a mean-looking dagger and held it high over her head. "Give her wings, Set her free!" 

"Willow! What are you doing?!" Xander pulled Willow away from Cordelia. He yanked the dagger from her hands. 

"It's the rest of the riddle. Cordy told me 'Kill Her' and the signs, 'Death of True Love'. I thought she meant Buffy but, Cordelia's true love is Angel."

Xander shook his head, "That doesn't mean we should kill her. I mean, Will, we can't do this."

"But we have to," Willow looked into Xander's moist, brown eye. "I know, it's hard, but it'll be okay." She took the dagger from Xander who let it go. 

"Set her free," Willow whispered. "And plunged the dagger into Cordelia's heart. An explosion of energy from Cordelia knocked Willow back into Xander. They tumbled to the ground. Angel finally managed to break down the door. He burst into the room and shielded his eyes. He saw Willow and Xander on the floor and grabbed Willow. 

He lifted her off the ground. "What the hell did you do!" He roared. 

"I set her free, Angel. I had to, she was lost and she told me to," Willow explained.

"You killed her!" He vamped out. Xander got up and tried to charge at Angel, but he pushed him down with one hand, the other still holding up the witch. He looked back at Willow. His game face was set, he was ready to kill. 

"Angel?" 

Angel turned at the mention of his name. There was Cordelia, his face shifted back. She stood there all in white, smiling her perfect smile, light shone around her like she was an angel. "Cordy," he breathed.

"Angel," she reached for him. "It's all right. Willow did what I asked."

"You asked to die?"

"I wasn't ever going to wake up, Angel. I'd rather be dead and able to watch over you, than alive and never see you." She said.

"But," he choked up. "I'll never see you." 

She smiled. "Yes you will. Every time you close your eyes, you'll see me. This is the way it has to be. I just wish I had gotten the chance to tell you, I love you."

Angel closed his eyes, "Cordy, I..." 

"I know." She kissed him lightly on the lips and faded away, leaving Angel, Willow and Xander gaping.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  


(Seriously, blame this chapter on the fever.)


	22. Forgiveness

Twenty One: Forgiveness

  


"Spike?" Dawn cautiously let herself in. Her face broke into a wide smile when she saw her big-brother figure. Dropping the blood packs, she rushed towards him. "Spike!" She threw her arms around him. 

He was sitting on the gurney. If his heart could, it would've leapt at the sight of his bit. He held her back at arm's length, "Hey, nibblet."

"Spike! You're back. I'm so happy." Then she punched him in the shoulder. "What the hell were you thinking?"

"Ow!" He rubbed the spot where she had hit him. "Bloody hell, bit." She crossed her arms over her chest, waiting for his answer. He smirked and bucked her chin up. "C'mon, bit, don't look at me that way. You know I can't stand those big, puppy dog Summers women eyes."

She tried to hide a smile, biting the corners of her mouth. "You're not sweet talking your way out of this one, Spike. I won't fall for that, I am not my sister."

Spike had to grin at that remark. "I was thinking of you, bit. And big sis. It was my turn to be the hero."

Dawn's eyes softened, "Oh Spike!" She flung herself at him again. "You're always the hero. My hero."

Spike swore up and down that had he been any happier he would've burst into a million little pieces. He chuckled to himself. He definitely didn't qualify as the Big Bad anymore. He held onto Dawn a little longer, before she pulled away to pick up the blood packs she had brought. 

"Here," she said thrusting them into his lap. "Buffy told me to bring these to you."

"Where is she?"

"She told me that she had some things to do. I can take you to her room," She let him rise to his feet. She snickered.

"What?"

"Nothing. You just look really silly in that hospital gown."

He gave her a Look. "Not a word, bit. Or I'll pop your head off," he threatened. Trying to regain what dignity he still had. "I mean it." 

"Whatever," they started walking. The whole way there, she didn't say anything about his hand being on her shoulder as they walked.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  


"Hello?" Faith picked up the phone.

"Faith, don't hang up."

She sighed. "What?"

"I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"Leaving."

She sighed again, growing more irritated by the minute. "I told you it was okay. I don't care." 

"You don't?"

"That's right, Perry Mason, I don't. If you don't want to be a part of my life, I can handle that. It's not like I need you," She walked over to a dresser drawer and pulled out a ripped shirt. She held it against her cheek. Putting up a front was an automatic for her. She didn't even have to think about it. A wall just went up. "Aren't you mad at me?"

'_I'm pissed at you, dumbass_', she thought. "Nah," she said. "What's to be mad at? I've been dumped before." '_Liar_' she thought. "Shut up".

"What?"

"Nothing."

"So, you're saying you're fine? You'll be okay?"

"Shit, yeah."

"Then why are you holding my shirt?" Faith spun around. Robin was standing in the door way holding a cell phone. "Surprise." He said. She ran to him and jumped into his arms wrapping her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck, kissing him. Then she hit him on the side of the head.

"What the hell is your problem?!"

"You." He said. She glared at him and he shook his head. "I got as far as Las Vegas and came back."

"What'd you tell your cousin?"

"I, uh, vaguely explained to her that my girlfriend was pregnant and I couldn't leave her," He said.

"Oh," Faith looked down, then looked back up at him and grinned coyly. "You called me your girlfriend."

"Did I say girlfriend?" He asked. "I meant 'pain in my side'." She reached down and grabbed him. "Oof! Or pain there." She smiled again and kissed him. "Does this mean I'm forgiven?"

"Nope," she led him to the bed. "You have a lot of apologizing to do." 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* 

  


Buffy walked into her room, not noticing that anyone was in there. She threw her bag on her bed. Spike emerged from the bathroom. "Buffy?"

She spun around. "Spike!" He was bare-chested and the ripples of his muscular abs were as hard as ever. It took every ounce of strength not to throw him down and kiss him. "What are you doing here?"

"Had to take a shower, love," he replied. "I was starting to smell a bit rank." He had hoped for a smile, but she just frowned. He looked at the bag and the few possessions in it. He cocked his head, "You're leaving." It was more a statement than a question. 

"I have to." She said turning around before he looked at her with the expression he wore now.

He stared at the back of her head, understanding that she was trying to do the strong thing. Leave him and be the slayer. He shrugged, "Right then. When are we leaving?"

"Not 'we', Spike. You can't go."

"And why the bloody hell not?"

Buffy sighed, she couldn't believe what she was going to say. Turning to him she said, "Because I have to move on. I need to go sort things out, take care of Dawn, find all the new slayers..."

"Rot." He said setting his jaw. "Those are excuses. They're not gonna work with me."

"They have to because it's the only thing keeping me from letting you come," She replied.

He shook his head, "Let me tell you something, Buffy. You can keep convincing yourself that you're doing the right thing, but you'll never convince me. I know you." He placed his hand over her heart. She inhaled sharply. His touch was cool, like she had remembered. She swore he could've frozen her rapidly beating heart, if he wanted to. "I can feel your pain. It's the same as mine."

She closed her eyes. She wanted to let him in. She needed to. He was there for her every time she needed someone and she was glad that it was him. Even if she didn't show it. She didn't know what she was going to do without him. He hadn't been gone long enough for it to sink in that he was gone. And now, she was going to let him go. "No," she finally said. "I'm leaving and you're staying. That's just how it has to be." He looked at her, pained.

"That's it then?"

"That's how it has to be."

He shook his head. "You're wrong, Buffy."

"I know I am," she whispered.

He heard her and turned her around. His hands placed firmly on her shoulders. "See? Then how can you say we need to move on?"

"Because we do, Spike." She shoved him off her. He fell onto the bed "You need to stay here and figure out your soul and I need to go and help the new slayers." She was repeating herself, but it just wasn't registering through his thick, vampire skull.

"We can do that together, Buffy," He was pleading now. "You and me. We need each other." He took her hand and looked up at her. "I'm not letting you leave. Not this time." 

She looked down at him, trying not to cry and give in. Her heart was telling her to let him come, but her brain, which was also telling her to let him come, still had a little smidgen of logic left. She cleared her throat, forcing the tears away, "I'm sorry," was all she said. He let out a scoff, looking at her with those deep sensual, gray-blue eyes, pleading her. When he realized that she wasn't going to change her mind, he hung his head down. She let him rest the top of his head against her stomach, until she realized that he was shaking from crying.

"Spike..."

"No, love," He said not looking up. "Don't say anything. I don't think I can take anymore of your fodder."

"Just listen, okay? I ripped you out of heaven, just like they did to me. I'm never going to be able to forgive myself for that. And neither are you," she said.

"You're mad. Certifiably, mad, Buffy. You can't think for a second that I was in heaven."

"Weren't you?"

"No," he stood up and brushed back her hair. "I wasn't in heaven because I wasn't with you. You're all I need to be happy. To be a man." He told her

"You were a man," she said. "And I took that away from you. I used Angel to do it too."

"I don't care. I'd rather be dead and with you than alive and without," he said.

She sniffled, "Is this Spike or William the Poet talking?"

"Both," he said, looking deep into her big green eyes. "But you're still going aren't you?"

"Yes, but you'll be with me."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* 

  


Willow watched Angel pace back and forth. He was mad, that much was obvious. Mad at her, at what she had done. "Angel..."

"Willow, don't talk to me."

"We have to talk about it Angel. You have to understand it."

"You killed Cordelia. I understand that."

She grabbed his arm. He stared at her. "Listen, Angel. I'm sorry. But I did what I did, because she asked me to. It was the last piece of the puzzle and Cordelia knew it." She explained.

He shrugged off her grip. "How'd she know? Why didn't she tell me?"

"She couldn't, Angel. She loved you."

"She loved me?"

Willow raised her eyebrows, "You didn't know?"

He sat down, "We were supposed to be meeting at the beach. But she didn't make it. Then Connor threw me in the ocean. So much had happened by the time she came back, I didn't even know how to act around her. She was still Cordy, but then she wasn't. Something was different."

"She was a Higher Power." 

"I know."

"That made it hard for her to adjust. She watched you Angel. She saw you at the bottom of the ocean and couldn't do anything about it. It made her feel helpless."

Helpless. The same way he felt thinking of her in the coma. But she wasn't in the coma anymore, she was gone. He was upset with Willow, but all Willow had done was free her. She didn't have to live like that anymore. He should be happy for Cordelia, but he couldn't bring himself to it. "I get it, Willow."

"Do you?"

He nodded. "And thank you. I'm mad still. But thank you."

She smiled at him, remorseful. "You're welcome, Angel."

  



	23. Goodbye and I Love You

  


Chapter Twenty-Two: Good Bye and I Love You 

  


Buffy climbed the ladder to the roof of the building. There, in the corner, overlooking the city, was Angel. She went over to him. "Are you okay?" Buffy asked Angel. 

"She's gone," he said after a few minutes

"I know. Willow told me."

"Willow," he scoffed. "She should have told me."

"She thought it was best not to. You know how it is, we always think we know what's best for our friends."

"But I would've..."

"What? Stopped it?" Buffy shook her head. "You couldn't have anyway. Willow wouldn't have let you."

Angel growled, "It's not fair."

Buffy laughed, "It's never fair. You told me that once. But it is what's right."

"Doing our part to save the world. One body at a time," Angel said.

"It'll be okay." 

"Spike's blood," he said. "It was human blood."

"I know." 

"It was strange, because I tasted it and I could taste everyone. Spike, Darla, Drusilla, You." Angel said.

"Angel, I..."

He didn't let her interrupt. "I felt his pain, his anger, his hope. I saw his memories. I didn't like that too much."

Buffy looked down. "Sorry."

"It's okay. He really loves you. Even when he was a demon. And I realized that's why you love him. I'll never love you when I'm Angelus, I can't. I love you now and that's it. But with or without a soul Spike loves you, and you do too," Angel said turning to Buffy.

Buffy leaned in and kissed Angel softly. It wasn't a passionate kiss. Just a friendly kiss. "No matter what I love you. You're my first love and nothing can change that."

"I know." They kissed again. Buffy didn't feel anything. Well, she felt something, but it wasn't as strong as it once was. She didn't mind. "Promise me something, okay?" 

"What?"

"Call me when you're a cookie."

Buffy laughed, "Okay." She was quiet for a moment. Do me a favor?"

"Depends."

"Don't kill Spike." 

He sighed, "I'll try not to. I might have to tie him up, sometimes."

"Go for it," She leaned back into his arms and Angel held Buffy until the stars started to dim.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

  


Spike stood arm's length away from Buffy. He didn't want to let her go. He couldn't let her go. Every fiber in his being was telling him to grab her and run. Keep running, forget their responsibilities, forget that she was the... a slayer, and he was a vampire. Just run away together, never looking back. He knew he wouldn't have lasted long in Heaven or wherever he was. In fact, he would've busted out of there sooner if his damned conscience would've let him. That short time he was away from her had already too much. Now, they were parting again. And he didn't want to. At least this time he wasn't in danger of bursting into flames. Though he could feel Angel's broody glare boring into the back of his head. 

They hadn't said anything to each other, it felt like if they did, it'd feel too much like good-bye. Staring into her, he couldn't think of something, anything eloquent, witty, snarky, or loving. Basically, all he felt was emotions and all he thought was her. He did what he did best. Act on instinct, take some action. He reached over and took a lock of her hair between his two fingers, running them down to where the end met her bosom.

Buffy couldn't take it any more. She took him by the shoulders, pulling him to her, and kissing him. He was surprised at first. He always was, every time she made the first move. He moved his hands around her small waist, pressing the small of her back. She had wrapped her arms around his neck, running her fingers up his hair. Caught up in passion and desire, they failed to notice everyone uncomfortably trying not to watch the lovers.

Giles reverted to clearing his throat and cleaning his glasses as he boarded the bus and settled in the driver's seat. Xander scowled, more out of habit than actual disgust. He turned to join Giles and smacked Andrew, who had a dreamy smile on his face. Willow and Faith exchanged knowing looks and raised eyebrows. Willow put her arm around Dawn's shoulders, guiding her away from the Make-out session. 

"Do you think it's weird I think of Spike as my brother and Buffy's my sister and they are making-out?" Dawn asked Willow. 

"When you put it that way. Yes. You're a disturbed kid, Dawnie." Xander replied and Faith elbowed him hard. 

"Shut up, Harris." She said but was smiling.

Wes and Fred looked at each other and Gunn clapped the two of them on the back and the three shared a long overdue smile. 

"It's so beautiful," Lorne said wiping the corners of his eyes. Fred patted him on the arm. And the Fang Gang went inside.

Finally, the two lovers disengaged. Buffy, breathing heavily, Spike, of course, not. "Spike..."

He silenced her by tracing his finger down her face, to her bottom lip. He touched his forehead to hers. "Don't go." He whispered.

"Okay."

He smirked. "You have to. If it were that bloody easy to get you to stay, I wouldn't get to use the cuffs again."

"You're a pig, Spike."

"I'm your pig."

She squeezed her eyes shut and let out a long shaking sigh. "I don't wanna go."

"Where do you wanna go?"

"Anywhere."

"Then we'll go together."

"What if..."

He scoffed, "Piss on 'what if'. We'll go together, soon."

She opened her mouth to say something but he kissed her again. This one wasn't as lusty as before. More of a tender, loving, 'I don't want to say good-bye, but I have to, so I'll just kiss you instead' kiss. He pulled away from her, turning and walking away quickly. She watched him, knowing that if he didn't walk away fast she would've run after him. She let a solitary tear roll down her cheek, wiped it away and climbed onto the bus. Giles just nodded at her. Robin patted her on the back, Willow gave her an encouraging smile, and Dawn squeezed her leg. Andrew handed Buffy a tissue even though he was the one crying. And Xander sighed, but smiled at her anyway. It was his way of telling her it'd be okay. She sat next to Faith, who nudged her and she nudged back. Giles closed the bus doors and the drove off.

"Was that hard?" Angel asked from the shadows as Spike was walked past. 

"You should know."

"I don't. Not the way you do."

"How could you ever let her get away?"

"How could you?"

Spike smirked. "I didn't." He walked into the building.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

  


" Did they translate the papers I left on my desk? Lilah asked her assistant Janet.

"Yes, Ma'am." Janet replied. 

"And the vampires?"

"Mr. Angel re-sired Spike."

A wide smile spread across Lilah's face, "Two Champions. Perfect."

The End 

  


(Whew! Twenty-two chapters later and it's done. To be honest, I didn't want to stop but I'm kinda glad it's over. I may do a continuation. I have a couple of other How Spike Comes Back ideas brewing in my warped brain. And some Buffy/Spike scenes. Even one about Angel and his POV about some stuff. I also may want to continue the Faith/Robin pregnancy story line. It all depends. But I did want to say thank you again to everyone who followed the story and everyone who reviewed. Those of you who loved it, I'm so glad you did. And those of you who didn't, I'm glad too. I appreciate all kinds of feedback, good or bad. I know some of you wanted a B/A fic, but that's not where I had planned it heading towards. I thought the season finale was great, I was in a crazed rage when it ended, but I liked it just the same. Anyway, thank you again and hopefully I'll write more stuff that you'll enjoy.

- D.L. Federico


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